Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul
by SyxxFox
Summary: She is a member of Starwolf, but feels Fox's "accidental" death was her fault. Now Fox walks the path of darkness as Syxx and becomes everything he vowed to destroy and he hates. Only Krystal can make him see again. But can she? How far has Fox gone?
1. Prologue

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter I**

**Prologue **

* * *

What does it take for a hero to lose all hope in himself, the universe, and the one he loved?

Fox McCloud, always a legendary hero of the Lylat System, now lost all hope and will. After the war with the Anglars, Fox learns the true meaning of love to late to redeem his one and only.

Krystal had been with him every step but after being heart broken by Fox McCloud she refuses to accept his apology. Now a part of Star Wolf and with her new love Panther, Krystal leads her life playing for the other team.

Ashamed with himself, as Fox falls away; his second identity begins to rise, his alternate ego. The one that was once the epic hero of the Lylat System now resorts to a world of crime and violence as his rouge takes hold of him. He wants nothing to do with any of his friends, and especially his ex-love. Visions of her still cloud and delude his memory and minds eye.

No longer under his own control, McCloud take's it to the next level. The one who is Fox McCloud must die.

He no longer wants to be Fox McCloud. He no longer wants to be anybody, his heart broken just in time for him to learn the true meaning of love.

Rouge holds Fox by the tightest grip and the hero, now becomes the enemy of the System. Once made to save Lylat is now threatening its very existence. Only one can stop him and save the Lylat System along with all other existence.

It's up to Krystal to see the light, save Fox and the rest of Lylatian kind. But only one rule applies to Fox McCloud now, there are none. Fox fakes his own death and tries to get a clean and fresh start. As always he resorts to a military program, but he drafted into what is only known to the public as "Project Slayer."

**Authors Note:**

Thank you all for supporting my stories. These would not be possible with out many friends and supporters.

I thank you for the initial inspiration for this story

**-Blackline**: "_The Sands_"

**-Tracenine**: "_Let Me Go_"

**-Dropping Daylight**: "_Blame Me_"

**-Testing Tomorrow**: "_Miss Belief_"

Your music is awe inspiring and much of the credit can go to these bands for there amazing work and music.

If you would like to view my trailer for this story please visit my Youtube profile. The video name will be "StarFox – Armageddon Soul" or something similar.

Thank you all and I can't wait to get this story underway.

**Rated T: Censored foul language, graphic descriptions of blood and violence, mildly suggestive scenes**


	2. Pieces of a War in the Mind

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter II:**

**Pieces of a War in the Mind

* * *

**

"_Now that the war is through with me,  
I'm waking up, I cannot see,  
That there's not much left of me,  
Nothing is real but pain now,_

_Hold my breath as I wish for death,  
Oh please god, wake me,"_

**_METALLICA - "One"_**

* * *

Fox leaned back into the park bench and looked into the deep blue sky. He thought about what his life had led him up to, where he was now, and where he was to go. Fox had lost it all. His team, his love, and his life. It wasn't his fault. The fox just wanted to protect her. He never wanted to lose her. He never would want to lose Krystal and especially to Starwolf. And it never would have happened if he would have just understood in the first place. But, now that he did, it was too late. The vulpine learned to love, to late.

Falco had gone off on his old habits and rejoined the rebel space band that he had been in before. He had heard something about a team called Star Falco. It was probably for the best though. Fox couldn't lead a team anymore. He was too hurt and too ashamed of himself. Slippy had a relationship with someone as well, which left Fox all alone. Completely alone in the world, and in the universe.

His eyes searched through the pure blue sky, as if he was looking for something. As if he was looking for someone. He immediately turned his head down and away from the heavens. The blue reminded him too much of Krystal. Who was now a member of Starwolf team.

Fox sighed as he thought about Starfox. What it was to become and what it had been. He used to be surrounded by his closest friends. Sure, he still had the Greatfox II but, it compensated for nothing. He would have given up all his possessions to have it all back. And to take it all back.

His mind played games with him too. Every time the fox closed his eyes Krystal's face would fill his minds eye. This led him into nightmares. Every time he would awake and hope it would all just go away, but it never did. It was always the same. Waking up in the middle of the night to an empty ship and an empty life.

"_Fox?_"

The vulpine quickly looked up at the call of his name. There was no one. Not a soul. His mind was playing games with him again. The fox could have sworn that he heard someone call his name. He could have sworn that he heard Krystal. But he knew that it couldn't be true. It could never be true again.

McCloud lifted himself from the park bench. He stood for a moment. He tried to deicide what to do. He looked around for a second more. Then, just decided it was best if he just returned to the Greatfox. The red vulpine started to walk toward where he had parked his Arwing. He had to go the Cornerian Military Complex. That's where the hanger was.

As he walked down the streets he looked at all the people. The people that were just living their ordinary everyday life, just like always. They had no idea how close they were to utter destruction. If it wasn't for him annihilating that Anglars, then life might not even exist on this planet. Corneria could have been baron. There could have been no life, or it could be completely controlled by some evil force, that would rule their every movement, and even their very thoughts.

As he neared the gate to the hangers, and tarmac at the complex he noticed an armed guard there. It was the same as usual. There always was. It was just for security purposes. Everything was a little tighter now. And it would be for a while longer. It could be quite a while before everyone in the military and space forces settled down again, even though they didn't help him that much.

The dog looked at him, "ID please."

"You know who I am."

"I'm sorry Sir. I cannot let you pass this point unless I see some identification. We've had a lot of security problems lately."

"You're kidding me right?" fox looked at the dog.

The hound just extended his paw.

Fox reached into his vest, irritated. His snatched his wallet and flipped it open. Inside was a fairly recent picture of him, showing a valid pilots license, "Good?"

The hound looked at it, "Yes Sir. Thank you Captain McCloud," the husky reached into his pocket for a keycard. He swiped in through the slot and the gate slid open, "Have a good day. And, you have my thanks."

"Yeah, it's what I do I guess," said the vulpine dryly. Fox walked through the gate and onto the runway. His Arwing was parked at the very farthest hanger. The tarmacs were a bustle with activity. Men in pilot's uniforms and directors ran to their stations.

Fox stopped in place. One of the hanger doors slowly slid open. It was dark inside until, from the building emerged a silver and black aircraft. It was no bigger then his Arwing but it looked smoother and sleeker. It had a stealth design to it. It was a slick new design.

Instead of a two wing craft like his Arwing was, it had four wings. This was a similar deign to the Wolfen fighter that that Starwolf had. They were not so spread out though. The two wings were very close to each other. It wasn't as big either. It was smaller, like the Arwing. In fact, it looked even smaller then the Arwings. But if he could describe it as anything, he would just say it was an Arwing with four wings and a paint job, even though in reality, it wasn't.

The one thing that it did look was fast. The fuselage was a deep yet gleaming black. The wings were bright shining silver. It had a few more markings on it. One stood out to him. It was on one of the flares of the wing. From his distance, it looked like a nautical star. Except, he couldn't see the white, just the black.

Another beautiful thing about the craft was that the cockpit was covered by a one way mirror. Fox couldn't see in from the outside, by that didn't mean that whoever was flying it, couldn't see him. The cockpit was placed nicely too. From a glance it appeared that you would have a good view range.

It must have just been some kind of new test fighter. Fox looked away from it and kept walking. Soon he found his hanger. The doors slid open as two guards saluted him. Fox didn't even bother to return the favor. He didn't care. The fox made a quick check around his Arwing as hoped into the pilot's seat. The canopy swung shut.

The inside of the ship was completely silent. A tear burned at his eye. Fox pushed the throttle forward. The Arwing slowing took fight and hovered out of the hanger. He tightened his paw onto the throttle and jammed it forward. The engines reacted immediately. The spacecraft jumped forward and began its assent from the Cornerian atmosphere.

Fox could feel the G-forces pull him into his seat. He stared into the deep blue sky in front of him and his craft. He was forced to look at the radiant blue. Fox felt his throat began to swell as he suppressed tears, but the tear soon trickled down his fur, and onto the silver vest of the jumpsuit.

He wiped his eye with a paw, "I don't wanna be Fox McCloud anymore. I don't want to be me. I wish it would all just go away. Oh god, I miss her so much."

The fox looked down and away from the sky, but once again, he saw the blue of the ocean. Blue, he began to hate that color. Her face once again consumed his vision. The fox looked down at a certain switch on the counsel of the fighter. It was the deactivation for the G-diffuser system. If were to activate, or deactivate it while in the process of leaving or entering a planets atmosphere, the small fighter would get torn apart.

And Fox began to consider it. He looked down at the switch. He placed his paw on it, and began to think. He still watched the sky in front of him. It began to darken, which made him feel relived. But he still kept his paw on the switch of the G-diffuser. It would be a horrible way to die. It would rip apart the ship and the components and shrapnel would skin him alive. Not to mention the heat from the atmosphere would cook him.

He pulled his paw of the counsel. He whispered to himself, "What if, it didn't have to kill me. What if… What it just everyone… thought it killed me?"

He began to think more, "Maybe, I don't have to be a McCloud anymore. Maybe he could just die… and… and all the feelings would go along with him."

Fox would never commit suicide, even though he had just come so close to doing it. He didn't think he could actually pull it off, "_If I do it right, everyone could just think it was an accident. They could all just think it was a malfunction,_" but that was only if her did it right. Plus there were a few other key factors to work out, like; how would he survive himself? How could he make his body disappear?

The vulpine shook his head. Fox was shocked at what he was thinking. He began to think that he was going insane. What about his friends? What would Peppy do? "What would Krystal think?" he wondered aloud, "If it's not done right… she'll know."

He couldn't believe what he was considering. It was basically suicide. He then thought, maybe he just needed a vacation. But as the Arwing neared the Greatfox, he knew he was correct; he did need a vacation, he needed a vacation from Fox McCloud.

Out of all things that haunted him, there was one thing. One thing that would never leave the fox's mind and it wouldn't matter where he was, and it didn't matter who he was. As long as he was still alive, these six worlds would haunt him forever.

"_I'm sorry, you broke my heart._"

The last thing that Krystal ever said to him. The last six words she ever said to him.

Fox swallowed hard. He hated to think about it. But, the harder he tried to keep his mind off of it, the more he thought about the six words that were tearing him apart. He tried not to cry, he was strong, he was tough, but it ripped right through him. His gaze started drifting around. He slowed the engines of the Arwing, remained in orbit with Corneria, and cried.

He thought about how unfair it was. Fox, Fox McCloud. He was the legendary hero of the Lylat System and had saved it on several occasions. And what was his reward now? His reward was that his life was taken away from him. No one wanted to be in same building as him in fear that it would be bombed. And yet, he was the hero. And he knew if it weren't for him, and if it weren't for his father, Corneria wouldn't even exist.

Fox looked up into the blackness of space through the top of him cab, "Father, if you can hear me right now… I-I really need you. I need help. If you can hear me… please give me a sign… I never… I just wanted to protect her. I…" his breath stuttered, "I didn't want it to happen like this. Why did the all leave me!?" he smashed his paws down on the control panels.

The red vulpine looked up into the starry sky. He expected an answer. He expected something. And when it didn't come, he began to get angry, angry at the world, angry at his life, and most of all, angry at Krystal, and those six words.

"_I'm sorry, you broke my heart._"

Fox stared out the window chuckling and crying at the same time.

The six words that destroyed his life.

Six…

Six…

Six…


	3. Good Riddance

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter III:**

**Good Riddance

* * *

**

_"Left it to burn,  
Take me through this life,  
I'm so confused,  
You'll show me how,_

_With your head so high,  
Fall deeper now,  
And this world,  
You try to keep on holding,_

_Caught up in all this misery,  
Without her eyes how can I see?"_

**_BLACKLINE - "This Misery"_

* * *

**

Fox turned in his bed as his alarm clock went off. The artificial lights in the whole ship lit up. The vulpine just looked at the clock. He didn't have to get up. He didn't want to face the day that was before him. There was no way he could be happy. Not after what had happened.

Though he had cried himself to sleep the night before, it got him thinking. He thought it would just be best to put an end to Fox McCloud. Fox McCloud has to die. Not him, Fox McCloud.

All the while the alarm was still going off on the clock. Fox reached his paw out of the bed and pressed the button that would deactivate it. Once again it was silent, the ship and his life. The only thing now was misery.

Fox slid out of his bed and propped his back up against the backboard. An expressionless look covered his face. He began to reconsider. He thought about all that he was throwing away. He thought about all the friends that he was leaving. He then shook his head, realizing that they left him first. They made their decision. He made his decision. The one that everyone knew as Fox McCloud was going to die.

He slowly slid out of bed and began to dress himself. There were a few problems that remained though, the first being that he had to make it look like it was real, and this was the single big problem that tied in with a lot of little ones, like; he needed a body. Or he needs to destroy the body in the process. The only way he could think of doing that was letting his Arwing burn up in the atmosphere.

That would work. There would be no body to find because there would be no ship to find. But, this would mean he would have to find a way to bail out and survive the plummet. And no one could see him.

He could just send the ship in alone, on autopilot. But, then there would be no record of him leaving the Greatfox II. Plus the cameras aboard his ship would spot him after the crash had happened. And he needed to be there to manually activate the G-diffuser system. It was the only way.

So there it was, if he was doing it with the Arwing, he would have to be aboard it. But, then he'd have to find a way off. If he could find a way to evacuate, somewhere in the stratosphere, then that would leave enough distance for the Arwing to fall and burn up.

It seamed that when he solved problems, it just created more. It would work. This would work. Except for one thing, there was no oxygen in the stratosphere. This means, if he bailed too early, in the mesosphere he would either suffocate, but far more likely, he would freeze to death as he fell through the air.

And bailing out, if the sudden rush of air didn't knock him out, then surely it would kill him. The canopy its self would be ripped off, and he couldn't use the ejection either, they might find the seat. Fox would have to manually pull himself out of the craft.

And what if someone saw him falling through the air, a parachute would just attract attention to him. A solution to this was that he might have to do it over the ocean, where no one would see him bail out.

Then once again, fox thought that wouldn't work, because no one would see the Arwing burn up in the air. What he would have to do, would be, bail out when he was directly above an ocean, while the Arwing continued its flight path inland, where people could see it burn.

Fox bared his teeth as that created another problem. He would have to ware a parachute into his Arwing and to make sure no one saw him; he would have to activate it when he was close to the water. Most paratroopers would activate theirs at around seven hundred meters. But, if Fox didn't wanted to get seen, he would activate it lower. Way lower. Like around, fifty meters. And if it didn't go off, he would hit the water. And it would kill him.

If the fox got that far, another problem arose. If he did survive that far, and was alive in the water, he would have to go somewhere. If he was too weighed down, then he would drown. But, if he took off the parachute, then it would be there, floating in the water. He would have to bring a weight to sink it, before it sank him.

If he made it to shore somewhere, people would recognize him. If he managed to get that far. He would have to look different. No one can notice him.

Fox reviewed his thoughts aloud, "Ok, number one, get into the Arwing. Number two, bail out at thirty kilometers above Corneria. Number three, freefall thirty kilometers to the surface. Number four, activate parachute at fifty meters. Five, sink parachute and swim to shore. Six…" he paused and thought about the last thing he needed to. Number six. And the last six things that Krystal ever said to him

"_I'm sorry, you broke my heart."_

"_I'm sorry, you broke my heart."_

"Six? Number six, be someone else. Fox McCloud is dead. Haha, six," the fox's smile faded. He wished he wouldn't have made such a mistake. He wished that he never would have drove Krystal away. And his team as well. He wasn't sure if it was his entire fault, but he knew that there was no one standing beside him now.

He couldn't see the world clearly. Not anymore. Not without his team, and not without Krystal.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

"Are you alright Krystal?" Panther looked around the corner into Krystal's room, "You've been very quiet, lately."

The little blue vixen looked up from what she was holding in her paws. She smiled, "Yes. I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things. Nothing much."

"Ok, well breakfast is almost ready," with that the panther rounded the corner and back to his task of making the meal.

"Thank you Panther," the blue fox looked back down to what she held in her paws. She tried to hide it from Panther. It was a wallet sized portrait of both her and Fox. It was taken such a long time ago, when she had first joined his team. When she had first joined Starfox.

She hated to look at the picture. She looked at herself. She was kissing Fox on the cheek, while he was blushing furiously. It brought back so many good memories. Memories that were the best she had ever had at the time. But, he had pushed her away. She couldn't love him for that. Not anymore. She had to get some kind of revenge. So, she betrayed him.

It hurt her to do it, but it needed to be done. She couldn't be with him. Even after all she had done for her. He had brought her into the new world. He had shown her everything. Then, he left her. She couldn't love him. Not even after he came back to tell her how sorry he was. She didn't care. She didn't want to hear it.

But, she knew that Fox McCloud would pull through. Deep down, she knew that he would be ok. Fox was a strong character. Both his parents had died and he still fought. And who knows, maybe she would see him again someday. Starwolf had a record of running in with Starfox. She knew that she would at the very least see him again. Maybe not meet him, or talk to him, but she wanted to see him one last time. Which is why she still kept the photo

Krystal quickly set the picture down. She placed it in the top drawer of her night stand. The picture of her and Fox stared back up at her. The vixen put her paw on the handle and closed her eyes.

She slid it shut with her eyes still closed. Krystal whispered so lightly she could barely hear herself, "I'm sorry Fox. I hope we meat again someday."

* * *

**_X_**

* * *

Fox made the safety checks on his Arwing. It was pointless really, but he had to make it look real. The cameras all over the ship were watching him. If someone bothered to check them after his death, then everyone may find out, that he wasn't dead, that he was alive.

Fox threw his backpack into the Arwing and quickly fallowed it. He slid into the pilot's seat. His paws danced along the hollow-panel. The hatch soon swung shut. Everything read green. Everything was in place. He grinned.

"Lift-lock released," ROB broadcasted in a monotone voice.

"I'm ready ROB. Launch me."

The Arwing dropped. The engine's flared to life. The small slit on the bow of the Greatfox II opened to reveal a dark, starry space. The vulpine felt his back being pushed back into the seat as the Arwing rocketed into the darkness.

When the small fighter was clear of the spin it spun. The wings spread and locked into their proper place.

Fox turned the fighter toward Corneria. It looked so far away but the Arwing was quick and would make it there fast. Fox placed the Arwing into a cruise. It stared nearing Corneria. The vulpine had to move fast if he was going to get done what was required to pull off the stunt.

The vulpine's paws worked quickly. He reached into his pack while undoing his harness with his other paw. Once his body was clear of the straps he reached into the pack with both paws. He snatched a small bomb near the bottom, with the many wires attached. He knew where each one was going.

Fox placed the bomb on his lap. He stared at the controls for a moment, and then slammed his fist down on the casing. It only dented it slightly. With a few more violent thrusts the steal panel broke off. He placed the wires from the bomb in his mouth to hold them.

It was as if he did it a thousand times before. He cut wires with the blade on his communicator while wrapping others together. Soon, there was a collage of colored wires that led to and away from his explosive. He shoved the wire back into the console as best he could, and jammed the bent panel back on.

When that was done he slipped the pack onto his back. It pushed him an uncomfortable distance away from the back of his seat but, it contained the parachute. He clipped the straps around his chest stomach and thighs. When it was all ready, he looked up through the view window. The planet now spanned out in front of him.

Fox set his coordinates so that the Arwing would head for Corneria City. But this would give him the opportunity to bail out over the ocean. A raccoons head came up on the display. It made the vulpine's heart jump.

Fox answered before he was questioned, "This is Captain Fox McCloud of team Starfox."

The raccoon looked down and away from the camera, "I'm sorry Fox McCloud. I didn't know it was you. We're a little more alert since the war with the Anglars."

McCloud tried to act calm, "I understand."

"Captain, my sensors indicate that your safety harness is not engaged please confirm."

Fox could hear his heart beat hard in his head. As fast as he could react he grabbed both ends of the harness and attached it together, to the empty seat, "Sorry I forgot."

The raccoon looked away from the camera for a moment. It looked like he was typing at a computer, "Yes Sir, thank you. You are green. Hanger twelve is all yours. Corneria City, if you're headed there."

"Thank you," with that Fox shutoff the communication channel. His heart was still racing. That could have been a fatal error in his plan. He didn't even know that they had sensors that could detect that. And, a flaw so small could have led someone to find out that it was a fix.

They never did that to him before. They never opened a channel to check his approach. But, now that the war was over, the Space Forces must have been a little touchier about the matter of fighters coming onto the planet.

A small alarm went off indicating him to activate the G-diffuser system. He quickly flipped the switch up. The craft steadied as the wings widened to slow his decent.

He looked down at the wires on his lap. The bomb was very important. If the ship didn't completely burn up in reentry, then it would explode at three hundred meters. As soon as the altimeter read three-zero-zero, then it would go off. There would nothing left but shrapnel. And if it didn't make it as far as three hundred meters above the surface, the heat from the velocity of the ship would tare it apart, which in turn would set the bomb off.

Fox looked around and quickly set the wires into a place under his seat so the sudden blast of air wouldn't knock any of the wires away, or the bomb off of the Arwing. It was very important that it stayed there.

If there was one thing he knew would work, it would be that. The explosive would go off. And out of all the things that could go wrong, one thing scared him the most. And, the thing that was most likely to kill him. Fox knew he was bailing out at mach speeds. He had to survive that.

Fox saw the front of his fighter began to glow with heat. He took one last deep breath; he kept an eye on the altimeter, and a paw on the switch. He rolled his finger tips over it. The way Fox McCloud was going wasn't the smoothest, and wasn't the most honorable, but it would work. As long as no one figured it out. And as long as Krystal didn't figure it out. He never wanted to see her again.

It was the turning point in his life. And if his mission failed, and he got killed he knew that there would be no way back. Fox exhaled, and rolled his knuckle over the G-diffuser. Ready to flip it back. And ready to die.

"Let's do this. I'm ready."


	4. Downwards a Waste

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter IV:**

**Downwards a Waste

* * *

**

"_They've got a home where they can see,  
Are you where you want to be?  
Strung up there with broken bones,  
Do you share my apathy?_

_Won't you stick up for yourself?  
Why don't you care anymore?  
Have you've been beaten to death?  
By the one's you adore,_

_You've got to open your lips,  
If you've got something to say,  
Speak up soon or you'll fade away,  
Now fade away,"_

**_SERGIO STARBIRD - "Pinata"_

* * *

**

"Fox please," Krystal begged.

"I'm sorry Krystal. I… ugh."

"But… why? Why are you doing this? Wha- you can't trust me? What's wrong?"

"It's not that. Please you've just got to understand," Fox and Krystal stood facing each other in the lounge of the Greatfox II. Fox's heart tugged at him knowing deeply down, what he was doing was wrong. But, he had no other choice, "You just can't be a part of Starfox any longer."

"Why Fox? I thought… I thought that we understood each other. I thought you loved me. Like… like I love you."

"I do… and I always will Krystal. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I-I don't understand."

"Anyone I've ever loved. Anyone that's ever been my friend has been hurt by my enemies. I've had enough of it. And, if I lost you… then I wouldn't be able to go on."

"Fox," Krystal put her paw on the larger vulpine's shoulder, "That's just a risk that we take. And… I know that if you ever died or if you ever let me go then I would be lost. I wouldn't know where to go."

Fox lifted her paw off his shoulder, "This is hard enough for me already Krystal. I don't need this, especially from you. I just want you to be safe."

"Think about it Fox."

"I have. And, I've made my decision."

"Fox please."

Fox snapped and slammed his fist down on the counter, "Please Krystal! Don't make this any harder for me then it already is!"

"But, where will I go? Who…"

"I can't know. Just please. Do this one last thing for me," Fox held out his paw and looked away.

Krystal looked in her paw and back up at the red vulpine. Though his head was turned away she watch a tear roll down his check, bead on his fur for a moment then fall to the floor. The little blue vixen closed her paw and placed the small object into the one of the larger man. With both paws she closed Fox's grasp.

The vulpine sobbed, "I'm so sorry."

Tears started to burn at Krystal's eyes. She thought what Fox was doing was selfish. He was just leaving her to go off all by herself. He didn't even give her a chance. Though she was sad, a rage was building inside her. Fox wasn't being fair, and he was taken away the only place she knew as home.

The fox took in his paw, "I don't know what else to say."

Krystal bared her fangs slightly and spun around, "There is nothing else to say Fox! I can't believe that you would do this to me! I had it all taken away from me! And you were the only one that was kind enough to take me under your wing!"

"I'm sorry and I know how you feel."

"No you don't! You have no idea how I feel! You don't understand what it's like to be the last one of your kind! And have it all taken away from you, twice!"

Fox sighed, "You'll get over it."

Krystal turned around and glared at him as she headed for the door, "Don't you tell me that I'll get over it!"

"Hey! Don't give me this! I'm just trying to protect you! You think you were the only one to lose both your parents!? You're whole family!? I thought if anyone would understand it would be you!"

She stared him down a moment longer and was about to say something else but she never did. She just walked out. It would be the last time that they ever saw each other.

The vulpine opened his paw. Inside was a silver emblem of a quadruped with wings. It was the same one that he wore over his heart. It was the team Starfox logo and symbol.

Fox took a shuddering breath and told himself lightly, "You'll get over it Fox. You always do."

"_…Fox…_"

"…_Fox…_"

"_…Fox…_"

* * *

_**X

* * *

**_

"…_Fox…_"

"…Fox… Fox are you there!?"

The red vulpine looked around the cab of his Arwing.

"Fox! Fox McCloud!"

The vulpine shook his head violently and remembered where he was. The flashback had brought down his attention. The fox looked around the cockpit of the ship. Alarms were going off and lights were flashing. He took a quick glance at the altimeter. It still read over one thousand kilometers.

"Fox! Come in Fox McCloud!"

The vulpine looked down at the communications screen. He flipped on the audio only switch, "This is Captain Fox McCloud."

"Thank God Fox! I thought we lost you! We are reading that you have deactivated the Arwing's G-diffuser."

Fox looked at the switch. It was true and even though he hadn't known he had done it, he had. The G-diffuser was off. And the Arwing was gaining speed, "Negative. G-diffuser is activated. There must be something wrong with another component," he spoke calmly.

"Please adjust your angle of attack by twenty-three degrees. Confirm."

Fox took a glance at the altimeter. It already read five hundred kilometers. The vulpine yelled to simulate that something had gone seriously wrong, "Agh! I'm having some big problems! Steering is out! All I have left is the comm. systems!"

"Check… Fox… confirm… components please!" with one last jump of turbulence the ships communication systems shutdown all together.

Fox's paws danced across the consol as he tried to fix the minor problems. Fox knew that he had to make it look like he was fixing the problems and trying to land the ship. The front of the fighter was glowing bright red. Fox didn't know how much longer the Arwing would hold up to the forces. The ship was bouncing and jostling incredibly.

He turned his gaze to the altimeter. It read two hundred kilometers and it was only going down faster. He just wished the ship would hold together longer. The red vulpine smiled and made all the final checks on his suite.

He reached to his side and rolled his sidearm out of its holster. The fox pulled back the action and cocked the weapon. The pistol was ready. He took one last look at the inside of the ship that had served him so well. Then he turned to the altimeter. The digital reading said fifty kilometers.

Fox knew that would go fast. He flipped the safety off his pistol and unloaded the small rounds onto the hinges and glass of the canopy. He then slid onto his back and gave the window a kick with both feet. He emptied the rest of the clip on a hinge, turned to the altimeter. It read ten kilometers. Fox took a deep breath and slammed his boots into the window of the canopy.

It seemed like the world exploded. A loud boom of air entered the cockpit and swiped him out. The last thing he had time to do was pull the goggles over his eyes before he found himself flailing through the air wildly. His chest burnt from the impact of atmosphere.

He knew that he was spinning out of control. But there was nothing he could do about it right now. All of his muscles were on fire. And he could feel the biting cold. The vulpine tried to take a breath. The cool air stung that back of his throat. But, it was oxygen. He bailed out in the correct place. He was going to have oxygen to breath.

But he was still tumbling through the air. First he saw the clouds above him then the blue sky. He tried to steady his flight by putting his arms out. It hurt so much, but he managed to do it. His senses were disoriented completely. He couldn't hear a thing but the rushing of wind past his ears.

Fox tried to spin himself thinking that he was upside down. He was falling toward the cloud. That wasn't right. It took the vulpine a while to figure out that he was above the clouds, all falling toward them.

Fox watched the Arwing continue on its flight path and plowed through the cloud cover. The fighter was moving a lot faster then him. Some of the components were flying off.

The burning in the vulpine's body that had once been was now disappearing. But it was being replaced by bitter cold. Before Fox knew it he himself was nearing the cloud. He took a deep breath as if what he was going into was water. But, the cloud didn't slow him. In fact he could feel the moisture bead on his fur and then, instantly freeze. Frost built up on his fur and jumpsuit.

As he broke through the cloud, the vulpine could see that landscape below him. And he could see Corneria City below him. He knew he must have miscalculated. He shouldn't have been here. He should have been at least five kilometers out from the shore. That was before he remembered bailing out at ten kilometers instead of thirty as originally planed.

He angled his paws and made the correct adjustments to carry him toward the ocean. The Arwing was doing its job correct though. There was black smoke trailing the fighter and it was heading down toward Corneria City. It was going a lot faster then he was. Then it exploded. Small pieces and chucks came flying off the ship as it disintegrated far below him.

The shock from the explosion, though far distant to him, threw Fox's flight path off, but it did push him more toward the ocean. But he was once again tumbling. He flailed his arms through the air and tried to get his stability back. Once he did, he realized that he was much closer to the surface.

He bit his lip and angled his arms and legs so that they would carry him toward the ocean more. Time ran out fast and he knew he was far enough away from Corneria now. Not as far as he wanted to be, but it would work.

He placed his paw on the handle of the ripcord. And waited. The red vulpine had no altimeter. He just had to guess and pull the cord low enough so he wouldn't be seen. There was still a chance that there could be someone nearby, even in a boat. But at the speed he was falling at, and the deep blue-green water coming at him. He just wanted to pull the cord. He didn't want to slam into the water. But he waited.

Fox knew he had a small window. If he did it too high, then he risked being spotted. But if he did it too low, then he would die.

He waited longer. And longer, until it felt like he could reach out and touch the water. If he waited any longer, then he may miss his window. And that would be that. That would be the end… the end of Fox McCloud.

"_No,_" thought the vulpine, "_That wouldn't be end of Fox. Fox McCloud is already dead. That would be end of… whoever I am now."  
_

The vulpine closed his eyes. Tightened his grip on the cord and pulled it. No one had ever activated their parachute this close to the surface. The strings and fabric rolled out of the pack. Fox looked up and then down. The water was getting closer. He wasn't going to make it. He was going to die.

The parachute unraveled and took immediate affect. It pulled on his shoulder and he could feel the straps around his legs dig into his hide. He floated in the air for mere seconds before his boots sunk into the water. It filled his boots and, it was so warm. But that's probably because he was so cold. He hadn't noticed until now, but he was shivering and as soon as he hit the mild ocean water, he warmed.

Fox knew he wasn't out of it yet. The parachute covered him and immediately and the vulpine began to sink. His paws worked over his body quickly, but not too quickly so as to miss the buckles and tangle straps. But the weights were doing their part. The steal rods in the backpack were dragging him to the bottom.

He was already two or three meters beneath the surface. And he was running out of air. He started to work faster. His paw movements were becoming less coordinated. Fox started to panic. He thrashed in the water. Trying to work faster and faster. He looked up hopelessly at the white parachute flowing in the waves. He thrashed in the water and broke free of the pack.

The vulpine clawed through the water and the fabric of the chute. His lungs were begging for air. The felt like they were going to burst within him. The surface was so close, yet so far. He reached one paw out of the water and his muzzle soon fallowed. He broke free and took a deep breath.

He soon felt himself being dragged down by the rest of his gear. The vulpine started to disassemble what he had left. He unclamped the silver communicator, vest, boots and gloves. They all sank to the bottom, and Fox could finally support himself in the water.

He looked up into the sky. Fox could see the trail of smoke and where the explosion had taken place. The bomb wasn't necessary, but it did help in the affect. The Arwing was basically vaporized. Fox knew that there was no way he possibly survived that. And, that ultimately was his goal. Everyone now, thought he was dead. That was his theory anyways.

And, if it didn't work, he could still just claim it was a malfunction. If anyone knew he was still alive, they would soon find him. But if they don't, then his plan was a success. Fox was now just to play the waiting game.

He smiled and looked all around him. He took his bearings from the sight of the aerial burn up. He couldn't swim toward the city. So he slowly started swimming toward the East, where he knew there was shore, but it would be basically deserted. There was nothing he could do now, except hope that everyone thought he was dead. And be thankful that he was still alive and Fox McCloud was dead.

After what felt like hours of stroking through the water, Fox could see the shore. But he was exhausted, and after another hour of swimming, his barefoot sunk into the sand. He put the other one down and started to walk until he reached the sandy shore. He drug his bare feet through the dry, hot sand and collapsed.

He rolled over in the sand. He propped himself up with one elbow and drug himself a few meters further and into the cover of the forest. He breathed deeply while propping his back up against a tree. There was no way he could go any farther today. That was as much as he could physically exert himself. And all his limbs were stiff and completely covered in a burning fire.

The vulpine began to assess what was left of his previous life. He reached his paw over his lap and into the holster. His side arm had either been blown out or he hadn't replaced it when he was shooting up his canopy. He couldn't remember. It all happened so quickly. And now the blue sky that he had been falling through what seemed like moments before, was now orange. Sol, the Lylat System's sun, was setting into the horizon and so ended another day.

The fox could feel his cheeks being a rosy red. They were warm now, but they had been frost bitten. And his ears were just the same. Fox took the goggles off from around his neck and tossed them aside. His jumpsuit was ripped, torn and even burnt. Small cuts appeared on his arms and face. Nothing too serious or damaging, but he wouldn't have doubted it, if he had tore some ligaments and vigorously strained some muscles. His head was pounding against his skull, and he though he possibly had a concussion from the initial blast of air.

The fox sighed and grinned though. He felt sore, nauseous and his head was beating like a drum every time his heart pounded. He was alive. Everything had fallen into its place. And he was still alive. And Fox was dead. He thought about all of the things that he had just left behind with the death of Fox McCloud.

Friends that were so close like, Falco, Slippy, Bill, and his father figure, Peppy who was now General of the Cornerian Military now seemed distant. The Greatfox had no one and Fox wondered what would become of it and the rest of his arsenal of weapons and fighters.

He remembered the last words that Krystal had ever said to him;

"_I'm sorry, you broke my heart._"

The six words that had destroyed his life. He closed his eyes.

Six…

Six…

Six…

The vulpine smiled to himself and shot both his eyes open. He whispered so lightly that he, himself could barely hear it, "Six. Six," he paused, looked into the orange sky, "Syxx," he passed out.


	5. Deserver

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter V:**

**Deserver

* * *

**

"_Well you build it up and you tear it down,  
Can't you see that I am so lost inside?  
We'll concede this is not everything,  
This is my failure,_

_Save me from my life,  
Save –  
I can't deny that it's over,  
So this is why I hate,  
Goodbye,"_

**_DESTROPHY - "Why I Hate Goodbyes"_

* * *

**

Krystal only caught the last part of the conversation;

"…well she's going to find out sooner or later."

"I know but I just don't know if she'll be able to take it right now."

"What are you going to do? Hide it from her? Yeah, like no one will be talking about this!"

"We don't know if that's what it is though boss! Lots of aircraft look like that!"

Krystal knew that they were talking about her. But she didn't know about what. So she kept back for another moment so as not to make it awkward for her love, Panther and her new leader Wolf. She hung back around the corner for another moment and continued to listen.

"It's your call Panther. She's a member of this team," the wolf sneered.

The panther reassured him, "Relax big guy. It's under control."

The little blue vixen peeked around the corner and looked into the lounge of the hideout. It was silent except for the TV on, but she wasn't paying attention to that. She walked into the room, but as soon as Panther saw her, he was fumbling for the remote. The TV hit a few more channels before it shutoff.

Krystal looked at Panther and Wolf suspiciously, "What was that about?"

Panther smiled, "Nothing," he patted the open seat next to him on the sofa with his paw, "Come, sit."

Krystal's eyes turned from the black screen of the TV and back to Panther, "What was it?"

"Nothing."

"Panther, you don't need to hide anything from me," she came and sat beside the black furred man, "I heard you guys talking about me. I just wanted to know about what."

"Oh, that uh, wasn't about you," Panther stuttered, "That… That was about someone else."

"Come now. If you don't tell me what I want to hear, I can just read your mind," she said with a smile.

Panther looked at Wolf, then back at Krystal and sighed. He brought his paw to the remote and turned on the large TV. The screen flicked on.

Krystal raised one eyebrow at Panther and turned her gaze to the TV. On the screen was a young, pink female cat, "…What you are about to watch was visible over the Southern Corneria City sky at noon yesterday."

The footage on the channel's news room switched to a view of the great blue sky above Corneria. It took Krystal a while to figure out what she was looking at. Then, from within the high depths of the sky came an extending black streak. It trailed through the sky behind something. The last thing Krystal could see was a silver and blue object, before it was vaporized in midair. The single black trail of smoke turned into dozens of other smoking pieces.

The cameraman yelled, "Ohhhh, mmyyy god!" the camera shook for a second and in another few moments was a distant bang. It took a while for the sound to get to them.

The blue fox looked at Panther quickly with wide eyes, "What was that thing?"

Panther was silent. He looked back at the TV, knowing that Krystal would just take whatever she wanted out of his mind.

"What? No. It can't be," Krystal's stomach began to lift and she started to feel butterflies.

"It's probably not. I just didn't want you to worry."

Her heart was pounding like a drum by this time, and she thought to herself, _"How does that not make me worry? But that's impossible…"_ her thoughts trailed off.

She thought she knew what it was, but she preyed it wasn't. The silver and blue object in the distance look exactly like a ship she used to fly in all the time. The exploding fighter looked exactly like an Arwing.

The footage went back to the news room and focused on the young pink feline, "Though undetermined for the past twenty hours, we now go to a live feed from the front of Corneria's Military Complex."

The cameras switched again. The blue vixen quickly turned back to the TV as the footage changed. She was now looking in another outside environment in front of the white building that was the Cornerian Military Complex. She knew, she had been there many times before… with Fox.

On the news camera was the constant clicking of cameras as a young hound like dog in a military uniform stepped forward and took the podium. Many other military figures stepped beside him. The crowd that was gathered in the front slowly began to silence, but the incisive snapping of the cameras did not.

The young dog pulled some papers out of his uniform, placed them on the stand, and removed his beret from his head. He adjusted the microphone towards his muzzle and cleared his voice and began to speak. The camera's view tightened onto this soul figure. The canine took a deep breath. It was like, he was afraid too, Krystal knew that she was. Her palms were beginning to sweat as they stayed tight in their fists. The vixen began to prey silently in her head.

"Good… go-od morning cit-izens of Corneria," the dog said in a stuttering voice. He took another deep inhalation before going on clearly and confidently. He repeated himself, "Good morning citizens of Corneria. At 1300 hours yesterday, Saturday November 23, 2245 a black trail of smoke was visible over the Southern sky of Corneria City. After leaving a line of black in the sky, at approximately three hundred meters above sea level this object detonated. It is, now of our knowledge that this craft was a… a SFX Arwing II."

The crowd began to talk and chatter amongst themselves. Reporters began asking questions at an astonishing rate. No one waited their turn to talk.

The canine put out both paws, "Please there will be time for questions at the end of this session," he went on, "Captain Fox McCloud of Team Starfox… was… confirmed to be aboard the shuttle as it went off in the atmosphere. The SFX Arwing II has an ejection seat, but that was never confirmed to have gone off," the hound paused for a long while.

No one talked. And no one asked questions. It was completely silent.

The dog swallowed hard, "As of 1630 yesterday afternoon Captain Fox McCloud of Team Starfox was confirmed dead."

No one said anything. A deadly silence came over the crowd and the reporters. No one took pictures. No one wrote in their notepads. And no one looked away from the dog. Krystal wondered if they were in fear too.

"I will now open to questions," said the hound.

Everyone was still stricken. Until a raccoon spoke up, "Is… is this a… uhh… a problem with the ship it's self? What… I mean is, should Arwing be blamed for this?"

"We don't know," the dog answered.

"Where is the General?" asked another.

"General Peppy Hare could not attend this public meeting because of his close relationship with Fox McCloud."

"Could this have been murder?"

"We don't know."

"Could this have been suicide?"

"For classified reasons, we are ruling out suicide."

"What is going to replace Team Starfox? Is…"

"We don't know. There is talk of a new team called Star Falco, a team formed by Fox McCloud's former wingman," replied the dog.

"What about Krystal? We now know that she is a part of the Starwolf Team. Is she expected to…"

The dog cut the reporter off, "We don't know."

"Have any pieces from the craft contacted the surface of Corneria?"

"We don't know."

"If someone finds any remnants of the SFX what are they to do?"

"I would have them contact the police services and they in turn will contact us. Please do not move or touch any wreckage if it is found."

"What is to become of the Greatfox?"

"We don't know."

Krystal slammed her fist down on the table in front of her, "Damn it! Is there anything you do know!?"

Panther placed his paw on her arm, "It's alright. We are going to get through this."

It was silent for another moment on the TV, "Are there anymore questions?" no one spoke up. The dog nodded, put his beret back onto his head and walked off the stand, fallowed by the other military officers.

Krystal's turned to Panther. A look of helplessness covered her face. Her eyes were wide open and her arms were shaking. Her blue tail with jewelry attached to it, began to droop. She could feel tears star to burn her eyes, "He-he can't be."

"I'm really sorry Krystal," Panther put his arm around her, "I know that the big guy really meant something to you."

"But… he… he can't die," Krystal realized how tense she was and tried her best to loosen her shoulders and back. But now that Fox was gone, a large part of her felt empty, "What happened to him? Why?"

"Shh, Krystal. Just relax. It's gonna be fine."

Krystal looked into the TV at the feline anchor, "Fox McCloud's funeral has not yet been released as a date. But, there will be both a private function for close friends and family and a public service that everyone will be free to attend to pay their tribute to the legendary hero of the Lylat System and Corneria, Fox McCloud"

Krystal shook her head, "He doesn't have any family."

"It's going be alright Krystal."

Though she loved Panther she became a little impatient with him, "Stop telling me everything will be ok. It's not ok. Fox is dead!"

"Come closer. I understand how you feel."

"How could you understand how I feel!? When has this ever happened to you!?"

Wolf O'Donnell had lots of smug things he could have said. But he saved it. The truth was that he himself was disappointed in Fox McCloud for dieing. He had always wanted to kill him. He never did get the chance to get his revenge. But, he did have some decently and some respect. So he left Krystal and Panther in the lounge to be alone.

"Krystal," Panther said in a caring voice, "I'm sorry. I guess I can't say this has ever happened to me. Heh, I guess you still do… erhm, did have some feelings for the pup."

The vixen ran her paws through her freshly brushed hair, making it messy again. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees and her paws on the top of her head, so no one could see her face. The little fox closed her eyes tightly and a tear dripped down and landed on the floor, "I don't know Panther. I love you. But, he… it wasn't supposed to end this way. How could he? It doesn't make sense! He's been flying those for years."

"Fox was a tough guy. And, I'm sure that's what he would have wanted that for you too Krystal. He didn't want you to miss him. But this is just one of those things that sometimes…"

"Please Panther, no more," she couldn't believe it. He was dead. Fox McCloud was dead, "I-I need to be alone for a while," she said while trying to hold back her tears. But it only made her sound worse.

* * *

_**X

* * *

**_

Fox's eyes shot open. He leaned over and with one arm, sunk his paw into the sand and threw up what little he had eaten in the past day. With every beat of his heart came a shooting pain that ran through his head. Every muscle ached and it felt like he had been hit by a tank.

Fox didn't remember anything. He looked out across the beach. He saw drag marks that led up to where he was. The sky was a bright blue and he wondered how long he had been there. That's what made him remember. He could imagine what it could have looked like seeing him drag himself across the beach, or fall from the sky like that.

He pushed his back up against the tree to climb to his feet. His bare feet sank into the sand, and it brought back more memories. He used a paw to hang onto the tree as he brought himself to stand. His vision began to tunnel as his head pumped with an overwhelming pain. But the tunneling vision soon passed.

Then he remembered it all. Who he wasn't, who had just died, and who he had now become. He worked his paws over his body, yelping when he hit the sensitive and wounded areas. Luckily enough for him, nothing had been hurt too badly, well, not life threatening anyways.

The fox slowly stepped out, onto the beach. The sun was so bright, and it made it even brighter as it reflected off the calm water. The vulpine took a deep breath. He had done it. Fox placed both paws on the back of his neck and smiled. He was alive. All he had to do now was get to Corneria. But, he didn't even know where he was now.

He sat down once again on the beach cross legged, "Syxx huh?" he spoke to himself, "Where did I come up with that?"

"_I'm sorry, you broke my heart."_

Fox opened his eyes a little wider. Now he remembered. Those were the last six words that his love, Krystal had ever said to him. That's where he had derived his new name from. It would be the only thing that he would carry over with him to his next life. He knew that he would now go by the name of Syxx.

The best thing about what he had done was that the words didn't hurt him anymore. In fact he now felt a sense of satisfaction. Deep inside him and feeling ever stronger every second, he wanted Krystal to be hurt. He wanted her to worry. He wanted her to cry. And he wanted her to know that he was dead and that they would never see each other again. The fox was content, and actually happy with himself.

He imagined Krystal crying, with tears running down her face as she wiped them off with her paw before they rolled off and touched the floor. He didn't know if she would actually cry, but for some reason unknown to him, he hoped she would.

The fox smiled inside and outside. He whispered into the ocean, "I came back for you. You betrayed me. Haha… take that."

He knew that he didn't pull off this stunt in spite of Krystal. He didn't do it for Krystal it all. Fox McCloud died with his entire honor intact. The fox did it for himself.

The vulpine knew that with his new identity, would come a whole new life. He knew that he needed to go somewhere but, he had nothing. The only place that would take him now would be the military. And there was nothing wrong with that. Three square meals a day and a place to sleep? It sounded like heaven right now.

The vulpine knew he needed a new attitude too. But, that didn't matter right now. He would work on that later when he needed it. His biggest concern was his appearance. Sure, everyone knew Fox McCloud. They knew how he acted and what he looked like. It wouldn't take long until someone spoke up, and there he would have it. All he worked for would be down the drain. Of course he could still have claimed it was an accident, but there was no way he could pull it off yet again without any suspicion.

The fox looked to the North. All he knew, was if he fallowed this shoreline, he would eventually come to Corneria City. He could be very close to it. As far as he knew, it could be just around the next peninsula that stuck out. He didn't know how the ocean currents moved. So, he could even be farther away from the city. It really didn't matter.

He knew now that he had the most precious alibi ever. His excuse was simply, that he was dead. In time, everyone would forget about him, and so would he. His life, his team, his home, his friends, and the love of his life, would soon disappear and the vulpine's past life would be invisible to even him. In time, he would forget who he had been.

The fox stood once more and started limping toward his far off destination, "Haha," he paused, "Goodbye Fox. F-ck your memories."


	6. Grip

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter VI:**

**Grip

* * *

**

_"When the night falls you know who you are,  
And you cast reflections as the mirror gathers rust,  
'It's so safe and lonely with you,'  
Lovers ripping in two,  
Grind away 'till nothing's left,  
There's nothing left inside,_

_First take what you want then you throw it away,  
This is the way of their world,  
Don't know what you've got until it's taken away  
This is the way of your,  
World,"_

_**DESTROPHY – "The Way of Your World"

* * *

**_

Sergeant Major Paul Ramirez rocked back and forward on the two back legs of his chair in the barracks. So ended another day, and so had gained another dollar. At least it wasn't the same boring day that ran into the usual schedule on the base. Today was a day filled with sorrow and silence. All the flags on the military base were flown at half mast because of the death of Captain McCloud of Team Starfox.

The truth was that the Sergeant Major didn't really care. Yes, he was grateful for all that Starfox did, but the team was taking away from the rest of the military. As long as Starfox was around, the glory was taken away from the other hard working pilots and ground troops of the army.

The raccoon could still remember the first time he saw Fox McCloud. It was many years ago when he was walking down the isle toward General Pepper to receive his reward for saving the Lylat System.

It was amazing. At that time, the fox was only seventeen and had already risen to the rank of Captain. At that time, Ramirez was only a Private in the army. Through the years he had risen to the ranks of the NCOs and to the leading training rank of Sergeant Major.

His job was to pretty much train any new recruits that entered the military. And to tell the truth, the job was getting a little old. He was getting tired of dealing with the immature eighteen, nineteen years olds. Sure, they had a lot of fight, but they often got themselves into trouble. A lot of them didn't take it seriously and just thought being in the army would be just like the movies.

He was just glad that he didn't have to teach the piloting end of things. Yeah, the air and space forces were great, and they army couldn't operate without them, but the truth was that the raccoon thought there was too many things that could go wrong. Too many buttons to press, and levers to pull. Just too many things to go wrong. All he liked and wanted were sights, and a trigger.

"Yo Ramirez!" a dog in a blue uniform walked into the barracks.

"Hey, sup my hombre?" the dog and raccoon's knuckles met. The German Sheppard was the Chief Master Sergeant of Corneria's Air Force, "So how's it going Fly Boy?"

"Same old, same old. You know how it is, training those young little b-st-rds that just keep p-ss-ng you off until, BAM!" he slapped his paws, "They get their wings and what do you know? There are more moron teenagers flying around in ships that cost millions of credits a piece!"

The raccoon laughed, "Alright gramps!"

"Ah shove it! The military is becoming a joke now that they're recruiting all these new kids."

Ramirez was about to say something but the laptop on his desk bleeped at him. He spun around in his chair and put his boots up on the table as they had been before.

**_X_**

Personnel Commissioned Officer: (Colonel Kole J. Harper)

Enclosed Document: (.mowd Doc. Proto Project Slayer)

Password: (twodaysnight)

Password Encryption Key: (Neo001)

From: (Colonel Kole J. Harper)

To: (NCO: Sergeant Major Paul N. Ramirez)

As you know, about a month ago, Team Starfox successfully defeated the army that we only knew as the Anglars. Thanks to them, the Lylat System once again is safe thanks to the legendary hero Fox McCloud. His death was untimely and I speak for everyone among the ranks of the army, air force and space force that we will miss him very much.

Along with the death of Captain Fox McCloud marks the end in the entity that was Starfox. No one shall ever forget the risks that he took as a mercenary. Both James McCloud, and the recently passed, Fox McCloud will forever live on in our hearts as the greatest heroes that have ever walked the face of this planet and flew the skies and space of this system. We will remember them.

However, on a different note; with the passing of Fox McCloud and the disappearance in Starfox comes a sense of vulnerability to Corneria and to the Lylat System. Now because of the recent Anglar up rise there has been a sharp increase of crime, drug trafficking, and rebel activity in and around the solar system. As the loss of Fox McCloud and Starfox spreads through the system, we are only expected to see more of this.

Team Starfox helped quelled these issues. By simply having the existence of the team kept organized illegal activities to a minimum. But, now we are in need of a new defense and a new force. General Peppy Hare has put me in charge of creating a program to help this.

As this has been a draft for years, myself and a few other Commissioned Officers that have been working with me on the project have finally dubbed it as possible, and have given the green light. This is the most elite program conceivable, known to the military. It will train soldiers to become the best they possibly can in both mental and physical capabilities.

The outline of the plan is as below:

The name of this program is called "Project Slayer." It will train soldiers to be the best they can possibly become. It consists of a seven month course that will train the subject to be the best in all combative regions. This will include, land warfare, ship to ship combat, piloting, close quarters combat, space combat and out of ship maneuvers as well as zero gravity maneuvers. There are many more areas that the subject will also responsible for learning and responding to.

Every program within the Cornerian Army has a team oriented basis. This is the first one that each subject will be on there own. The soul principle in Project Slayer is for the subject to operate as an individual. The essence of a Slayer is part marine, pilot, and assassin and even to a certain extent, a psychologist. Their training will be nothing but the best, and nothing but the hardest. The program is expected to cause a forty plus percent fatality rate among the trainees.

Because of this high death rate among the soldiers, whether that is in their training or while they are on duty, this will cause suspicion in the public when loved ones are pronounced dead or their deaths are hidden. The utmost primary objective of Project Slayer is to keep the public of Corneria in unity. The public of Corneria can't know about any of the terrors of the system. As the public become aware, it could cause panic.

As this is, Project Slayer will now become the most secretive and shrouded in the military. Each person that is subject to Slayer must posses certain qualities. For starters, the subject must have no existing family members. They must be untraceable. Criminal records do not matter and we even plan to find some of the recruits from jails. Ultimately it will be up to my decision on who will be drafted into the program. Each Slayer is hand picked.

Words cannot describe how brutal this experiment will be. Only the ones that endure this physical and mental process will be the finest soldiers that the Lylat System has ever seen. They will be bred to a level of invincibility.

You are my most trusted officer and ruling under my command, Sergeant Major Paul Ramirez. I will give you the plan, and I would like you to carry out the training of the Slayers. Anything that you require from the military or the space forces is yours for training purposes. They will become the most elite and secretive in the Cornerian Army. You are required to pick your staff for this training. This will have to include pilots. But of course this is by your discretion.

As for the fine details of the project, I would rather discuss them first hand with you and the NCOs that you have chosen to assist you in the instruction of Project Slayer. Please reply ASAP.

Sincerely,

Kole J. Harper

_**X**_

The raccoon removed his boots from the table. Yet again he had been drafted into some of the militaries screwed up project. He scrolled through the laptop reading some of the key points of the message again. The one part that said that only sixty percent of the population will survive actually scared him. That was completely unrivaled. No project had ever had such rates.

Paul had never read something so serious either. It actually sounded like they were willing to go through with it.

The raccoon set his boots back up on his desk and leaned back into his chair. He ran his tongue around his mouth, "Project Slayer eh?" he started to nod, "Alright. I'll bite. Felon, check this one out."

The German Sheppard looked over his shoulder. He quickly skimmed over the document, missing key points and sentences. But he got the gist of it, "What's this about?"

"I guess their taking this pretty seriously. Huh, he says that I need a Fly Boy to help train them in aviation. You in?"

The hound bit the inside of his mouth, "If this is going to happen, then half the recruits are going to die just in training. That's just… not right."

"Hey, you were the one who said that they needed to take this more seriously."

"I did, but come on. We're going to need more help then just us."

The raccoon spun around his chair, "So are you in or out!?"

Chief Master Sergeant Jim Felon looked over the document again. He slowly started to nod, "Alright fine. I'm in with you. I wanna see how this plays out."

"Alright," Ramirez's paws tapped away at the computer.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting a hold of the Colonel."

"What!? Right now!?"

"Hey, I'm curios! Let's just see what he has to say about it and if he is serious and we'll go from there huh?"

"Fine," the Air Force Sergeant grunted.

In another moment an orange cat's face came up on the screen of the laptop. Ramirez gestured his head through the camera of the computer, "Sir."

Colonel Harper didn't smile. He just went straight into business, "Thank you for getting back to me so quickly Sergeant Major."

"As you requested Sir."

"I assume that you have read the note that I sent you. This is perhaps the biggest thing to go on in the military, ever. I hope that you are up to the challenge. But, if you are not, that is no problem. I will simply find another."

The raccoon put out his paw, "Wait! Sir, I am up to the challenge!"

The orange cat paused for a moment, "Very well. I'd like to welcome you aboard as a trainer officer on Project Slayer. In the next few months I will be looking for recruits among the ranks of the army and air force and space force, not to mention the prisons of Corneria City."

"If I may ask a question Sir?"

"Please, ask as many as you would like. This conversation is being broadcasted on an encrypted channel."

"Thank you Sir. Why the prisons? I mean, why not just any person?"

"I'm glad you asked," said Colonel Harper, "Inmates from prison are often tougher then many of our trained soldiers. They are untraceable, so if they die, they are…" the cat put his fingertips together, "…expendable. This is not a team oriented task. Each Slayer will be trained to accomplish what a whole division of soldiers or airmen could."

"And, the survival rate?"

"Sadly, about half will die simply in training."

"It's that bad… Sir?"

"A Slayer must be the strongest he or she can both physically and mentally. If they do pass this training, then a Slayer will be the most formidable opponent in the entire galaxy. If they die, then their bodies are disposed of. This is why a recruit must have no background."

"Hmm."

"Is that all your questions Sergeant?"

"Yes Sir. For now that's all. I'm sure that I'll have many more soon."

"Good," the feline moved back in his chair, "I am leaving it up to you to choose your staff."

"I've already started Sir. Chief Master Sergeant Jim Felon of the Cornerian Air Force has agreed to take over the flight training."

"Sir," the dog nodded.

"Very well. I must go to a meeting. Remember boys. Slayer is now the utmost concealed project in the army. If the public find out anything of this, they would not allow it. Especially if they found out anything about the training process."

"Yes Sir!" replied Paul Ramirez and Jim Felon.

The orange cat reached down then pulled away, "Ah, and one more thing. You will see them suffer, and you will see them die."

* * *

_**X

* * *

**_

It was true what they said. She had no idea what she had until it was taken away from her. But it wasn't supposed to end like that. Fox wasn't supposed to die. He was never supposed to die. Krystal lied in her bed looking at the small picture of her and Fox. It felt like such a long time ago and now even longer since the vulpine had passed away.

She ran her finger down the small photo and whispered to herself, "Fox… what happened to you?" she shook her head, "You should know better. That could have never happened to you. But it did."

Her breath shuddered as she brought it into her lungs. Tears started to sting her eyes again. Though she had already cried a lot, she knew that it could never be over. How could she go on when something like this happened? This one little memento that she had left from her days of Starfox was now one of her most prized possessions. She wanted to see Fox again. She wanted to meet him again.

And though she hated to admit it, even to herself, she still had feelings for him. And she still loved him. It wasn't fair.

She slouched down into her bed, "What can I do Fox? Where do I go from here?" she sobbed, "Please, Fox. Just come back. Just for a little while."

For some reason she felt a sense of loss. Even though Fox wasn't hers, she was afraid to lose him and had already lost him, "I just wanted to see you one more time. That's all," the blue vixen took a deep breath, "This is your fault!!"

"Hey now," the door slid open. In it stood the black panther, "You can't blame him for that."

"And why not Panther!?"

"What did he do to you?"

Krystal looked up from the picture to Panther. She narrowed her eyes, "He kicked me off of Starfox!"

"But what else did he do Krystal? He took you under his wing and saved you."

"And I always wanted to repay him for that! I promised myself that I would! But, I feel that I never did. All he did was go off and die!"

"So what you're saying is that McCloud is being selfish because he… died?"

"I-I don't know what I'm saying!!"

"Just take it easy alright?"

Krystal growled, "You now what Fox is doing right now?"

Panther shook his head.

"Wherever he is, he's looking at me and watching right now," Krystal closed her eyes to let a tear drop down and then opened them again, "He's watching me and he is laughing his tail off!"

"He wouldn't do that."

"Why are you trying to defend him!?"

"Cause!" Panther paused before going on, "Maybe what he did wasn't so bad."

Krystal looked at her love in disgust, "What!?"

"Relax. What I mean is, now we are together. If it were not for him, then that would have never been."

Krystal considered it, "I know! I know…"

"Maybe, you should just go to his funeral. Just to pay your last to him."

"I don't know if I can do that… it… it hurts."

Panther came and took a seat on the bed beside her, "Krystal, life is going to go on."

The vixen leaned on his shoulder, "I don't want it to though."

"Still had feelings for the big guy didn't you?"

Krystal sniffled and nodded her head ever so slightly on the panthers shoulder.

"Sometimes you're going to feel like that, and that's perfectly natural. Fox was a tough guy. I know that you're going to miss him very much. But, you'll get through this. You're tough too."

"I know he was. I just wish that I could take it all back. I mean, what if he did…" she stopped, hating to think about it, "commit suicide? No one would ever know."

"He didn't."

Krystal looked up at him from his shoulder for a moment then let her gaze fall back to the floor, "How would you know?"

"Heh, I guess I don't. But Fox just doesn't seem… wouldn't have seemed to be one of those people."

"Fox wasn't. But," Krystal took a shuddering breath, "I'm just so confused right now. I mean! I don't know what to do! I don't know if I should go see him, and my sixth sense is blocked … I can barely perform telepathy."

"Just try," Panther closed his eyes, "What am I thinking?"

Krystal put her paws on her head. She blocked out everything around her, all sight and all feeling. After a few more seconds she opened her eyes. A tear beaded on her fur, "I have… I don't know."

Panther kissed her on the cheek, "I love you. Try to get some rest."

Krystal rubbed her eyes, "I love you too. Thank you Panther."

As Panther went out of the door Krystal looked at the clock by her bed side. It was already ten in the evening and she was exhausted. The vixen had wasted the whole day sobbing and mourning the death of her ex-love, Fox McCloud. She missed him so much.

She crawled into her bed and pulled the covers over her, turned off the light and sat in the silence of the night. She had no idea if there was a god somewhere. But, if there was then maybe he or she would hear her. Krystal opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling of the dimmed room in the hideout.

"Please. Please," she begged, "If anyone can hear me. Give me the strength to go on. Or… bring him back. Just let me see Fox once more. Just let me talk to him. One more time."

The only thing that rewarded her praying was the inescapable silence. She swore while crying, "Goddamn it Fox!! Why did you do this to me!? Just tell me!! What were you thinking!? What was going through your mind!? You have to come back!"

The vixen went through her mind and back through time again, "Fox, I know that I hurt you but… you hurt me too. Please, just give me a sign. I'm-I'm losing my grip."

She remembered that she, in fact was the one that betrayed him. Fox was just trying to protect her, but she was angry with him, she let him go after he came back and apologized. The feelings of anger now turned into guilt and sorrow.

Krystal then knew that she had gotten what she had coming to her. It was her fault. She knew that Fox's death was on her hands. Krystal had a sinking feeling that she had taken him for granted the whole time. Always thinking that he would be there for her and if she had to run to him, then he would be there. Not anymore though. Fox was gone, and no matter how hard she tried, and continued to try, nothing was bringing Fox back.

The vixen put her paws out in front of her. She could imagine Fox's blood all over her paws. She could see the red and feel the stickiness of the substance all over. Fox was dead. She had killed him. The vixen burst into tears.


	7. Forgotten Time

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter VII:**

**Forgotten Time**

* * *

"_Imagine regret actions,  
All circled losing traction,  
When will we realize they don't need to hide,  
We've deserved and now we're closer,  
This is the last time for your teeth to shine,  
The lungs have been pulled for breath enclosure,_

_Who can set you free?  
From your misery you're living in a fantasy,  
High and clean,  
A place to realize a level to sanitize,  
Who can set you free?  
Whose gonna find you when it's time to leave,  
Your fantasy?"_

**INDEX CASE – **_**"II"**__  
_

* * *

Fox paced back and forth in his room. His mind kept throwing him off the mission that his heart was on, his own words echoed inside his head, "_Come on Fox. Get over yourself. Just ask her. She'll say 'yes' she likes you. But does she like you that much? Does she love you? Agh, just forget it Fox. You can't do it. Just forget all about it._"

He continued to walk back and forth in his room. He rubbed his fingers together, nervously, "_She's beautiful._"

The fox sat down in the chair in front of his desk and then whispered aloud to himself, "She is beautiful…"

Fox McCloud was stuck in a mental war with himself. He tried to cut off all thoughts of Krystal for a moment. But they kept coming back to fill his minds eye. The truth in his head was that the vixen was indeed beautiful, and they have known each other for quite some time now. But, he didn't know if she felt for him, the way that he felt for her.

"_She probably already knows,_" Fox thought to himself, "_She's probably reading your mind right now._"

Fox looked up from his seat, "Ok, let's do it. You can do it Fox."

The vulpine got up from his chair and headed toward the steel door. It parted from the center out as Fox stepped through the opening. With a _hiss_ it opened and shut. As it did, Fox stopped, doubting himself. Thinking. He then put his chin up high and told himself once again, that he could do it, and will do it. He was going to ask Krystal out on a date.

McCloud walked through the massive halls of the Starfox mother ship. Passing the lounge, he peeked in, to see Falco asleep on the sofa. Fox lightened his footsteps, to pass. It was still early, but he wondered if Krystal would still be awake. Half his mind prayed that she would be, just so he could put it off for just one more day. Always just one more day.

Before he knew it and before he wanted to, he was at the blue vixen's door. He lifted his paw, and was just about to put it down on the pad, that would alert Krystal that he was at her door, if she didn't already know. But he didn't touch it. Instead he started his nervous pacing again.

When he finally built up the courage he repositioned his paw near the pad to the door. Fox's paw hovered above the button, still putting it off. His stomach filled with butterflies.

His own mind once again stopped him, "_But, what if she does say 'no'? Will it make things awkward between us? Maybe I should wait. Maybe I just shouldn't. But still…_"

He pulled his paw away again, "_No, I shouldn't. She doesn't… she wouldn't._"

The Fox spun around on his heels and started to walk away. Then he froze in his place. The hiss of a door opening emitted behind him. The only thing that he could think of was, "_Oh God! She knows!_"

The blue fox walked out and peeked around the corner, "Hello Fox," she shot a playful, suggestive, smile at him.

Fox looked over his shoulder before turning around to face her. He gulped, "Hi… uhh… Krystal. How are you?"

"Me? I'm fine Fox. How about you? I've been a little worried about you from the way you've been acting. Is there anything that you want to talk about? Is there something on your mind?"

"Uh, not really. I guess that's just the way I've been acting. I was just passing by, I was just going to the lounge, I guess."

Her smile became larger, stretching from one end of her face to the other, "Would you mind if I joined you?"

Fox could feel his cheeks begin to glow even more, "No, that's… I mean yes I. No, I-I don't mind!" the vulpine embarrassed himself and was now realizing how bad he was stumbling over his words. He took a deep breath and looking at Krystal's smile, he developed his own nervous grin.

As soon as Krystal's rear boot left her room the door slid shut behind them. She flicked her luscious blue tail out of the way. As always, she had bands wrapped around it, and a jeweled, lacelike tiara that came from within her hair and onto the top of her forehead.

The vixen's smile grew bigger every second that Fox spoke. She loved to see his reactions. Out of all the members of Starfox, his always, had been the most interesting, and she hated to admit it to ever herself, but, she loved to play with Fox and experiment with his emotions.

It was probably because they were both foxes. Krystal knew that Fox had a little thing for her. She knew that she probably shouldn't play with his mind as much as she did, but it was hard not to, and it was fun.

The pair continued down the hall towards the lounge of the ship. She remembered how handsome he looked when she had first laid eyes on him. Krystal hoped that he felt the same way about her.

Fox peeked around the corner of the lounge. Falco must have taken off. Krystal took a seat on the sofa. Fox went behind the counter and grabbed a glass of water for Krystal and himself.

He opened the fridge behind the bar. Inside were a few scraps of unfinished food and a small bottle of vodka. Fox had never been much of a drinker but a stray thought went through his mind;

"_Liquid courage,_" something Falco once told him.

"Don't you dare, Fox."

The vulpine's cheeks heated, "No, I wouldn't! It's Falco's! It's not mine!"

"I know Fox. Take it easy," she shook her head, "What's got you so worked up Fox?"

"Uhh, it's nothing."

Krystal turned the TV off, "Hmm, 'it'? Then there is something."

"Nothing, 'it' is nothing."

Fox set a glass of water on the table for Krystal. She looked at it before lifting it with one paw and taking a sip, "What's on your mind Fox? You've been acting awfully strange," her smile came back, "Especially around me."

Fox put one paw behind his head, as he usually did when he was nervous. He could really feel the heat in his cheeks, and the blood rushing to his head.

"Are you alright Fox?"

Fox took a breath, "Actually, there was something, I wanted to ask you. I was just wondering…"

"What's this about Fox?" she directed a grin toward the Fox. Knowing that she was embarrassing him and making him more nervous.

"Well, I don't want to put you on the spot. And I hope this doesn't change our friendship. But, I was just wondering, maybe we could go out for dinner sometime? Just you and me… maybe?"

Krystal looked at him with her moonlike eyes, wearing him down. Her smiled hadn't faded away. But she tortured him, and didn't give him an answer. This is the moment that she too had been waiting for.

The tension was building within the red vulpine. Krystal hadn't given him a response yet, "_Oh, you screwed up big time now Fox._"

Fox swallowed hard, "Or maybe not?"

Krystal wrapped her arms around the taller fox's shoulders, "I'd love to Fox," she gave the vixen gave the red fox a quick peck on the cheek, "I'd love to go out on a date with you."

_**X**_

"_Krys._"

Krystal awoke in her bed with a jump. She had awoken several times in the night, in sorrow and in fear. The first thing she checked was her paws; she remembered what they had felt like and looked like the night before. She could still imagine the blood. Krystal took a warm shuttering breath before leaving her bed.

Krystal spun her head around, looking for what had said her name, but there was no one to be seen.

"Hello?" she spoke to the silence of the room.

The voice that had spoken to her was so clear. And it was warm as it was whispered directly into her ear. She didn't want to think about it, but the voice sounded like the one of the recently deceased Fox McCloud. She knew it couldn't be real, but part of her thought it to be true. The only person that had ever called her _Krys_was Fox McCloud.

But Fox was sitting on his cloud, watching over her, laughing.

Her dream had made her remember how many good times that she had forgotten with Fox. It was better with Starfox then Starwolf, but all those memories, were just forgotten time. Krystal wished she could take it all back, especially Fox.

She made her way to the sink in her own private bathroom. Krystal sprayed soap into her paws and rubbed them together vigorously to get the feeling of blood off of her paws. And it took a long time. She cleaned them until the felt raw, and even then they didn't feel clean.

For the first time she looked up and into the mirror. Her blue fur and hair was ruffed up and looked like she had just gone through a hurricane. The vixen frowned, and stripped off her clothing before slipping into the shower. She rubbed herself clean and when she was done, she dried her hair, and fur before brushing it, into its normal look.

After changing into a clean suit, she looked at her bed. That too looked like it had gone through a natural disaster. She didn't care right now; she would clean it up later.

She sat down and looked at her boots. She could feel tears coming again. She tried to wash them away and drown them out, but she couldn't. She missed him so much.

Krystal looked to a laptop that sat on her night stand. A small message in the corner of the screen blinked on and off.

She wiped the tears away with her arm and sniffled. She reached one paw to the computer. A message was waiting for her; she opened it and skimmed through the letter. It was a message from Corneria, it was from General Peppy Hare, and he was inviting Krystal to Fox's funeral.

"Krystal?" a voice originated from the other side of the door.

The little fox took a short breath, "Yes?"

"May I come in?"

"Of course you may."

From behind the door, Panther walked in. Without hesitating, he took his seat next to Krystal on her bed, "Are you doing alright?"

"I don't know," she closed her eyes and shook her head, "I don't know how I feel," she looked up at her laptop and flipped the screen shut before Panther could a take a look at it.

"What was that?"

"Peppy. He wanted me to come to Fox's funeral, but… I don't know if I want to. It hurts Panther."

"Hmm, I think you should Krystal. It's what he would have wanted."

The fox spoke dryly, "Why? Why do you want me to do this? This isn't like you at all Panther!"

"I'm not forcing you to! I'm just saying that you loved that fox. Maybe you should go just to pay your last to him."

Krystal started to rock to comfort herself. Her eyes stung. A single tear dripped down from her socket, off her nose and onto her boot.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Never," she paused, putting her head down, not letting Panther see her eyes, "They say that the worst part is not knowing. I believe that now. I believe it. I don't know what happened to Fox and I'll be lucky if I ever learn. I just want to know," she was calm until something inside of her soul broke, "I just want to know what really happened to Fox!! I want to know why he did what he did!!"

The jungle cat put his arm around her shoulder, "Just take it easy. I'm sure whoever is investigating it, will find out."

"What if they don't? I just want to know what was going through his head! I want to know!"

The feline was clam as always, "So what Krystal? You don't know now. Maybe if you go to the funeral, someone will know what happened."

Krystal sat motionless, except for a slow, but steady rocking, "Only if you come with me."

"What!? You know I can't do that. I'm wanted in Corneria. I'm wanted all around the Lylat System. You're the only one that can walk on Corneria and be completely safe from the authorities."

"Please Panther. I want to go. I… I just can't do it alone. I need your help on this one more then ever before."

Panther hesitated, "Alright. I'll go with you. But just for a while."

"Thank you. I think maybe all I need is closure. I just have to say goodbye," she whimpered, "And know, that I'll never see him again," she continued to sob.

Not even her parent's death had touched her like this. She loved her parents, but she truly loved Fox McCloud. And she had taken him for granted. She had killed him.

Panther held her until she stopped sobbing, "Alright," the black cat got up from the bed, kissed Krystal on the forehead and headed toward the door, "Lunch will be ready soon."

"Lunch?" she whimpered in a high pitch.

Panther turned his head over his shoulder, "Yeah, I thought you knew Krystal, It's past one in the afternoon."

Krystal wrapped her arms around her own torso, "I don't feel well. I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something."

"Eat without me."

"At least try."

"No! I don't want to. Just leave me alone for a while, but… thank you anyways."

Panther frowned, "Your welcome," he started to walk out when Krystal stopped him once more.

"And Panther?"

"Yes my love?"

"I'm really sorry about how I've been acting the past day. I'm… I just need some time to myself right now."

"That's alright, take all the time you need."

"Thank you," she flopped down back into her bed.


	8. Ever

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter VIII:**

**Ever**

* * *

"_Can you take it all away?  
Can you take it all away?  
Well ya shoved it in my face,  
This pain you gave to me,  
Can you take it all away?  
Can you take it all away?  
Well ya shoved it my face,"_

**PUDDLE OF MUDD – **_**"Blurry"**_

* * *

Thunder and lightning broke the night sky. Rain poured down on the silent and dim lit streets of Corneria City. The stars and moon were covered by a mask of clouds that glowed as electricity flowed through them like a liquid.

Though Krystal loved the smell of the rain, she couldn't be happy or content. Tonight, was the first time in months that she had stepped foot Corneria. And it was the night of Fox McCloud's funeral.

Panther held an umbrella over their heads as they walked toward a small community hall in the suburbs of Corneria City. Though she wasn't wet, she loved the feeling of the cool rain on her fur and just the simple mist beading on the end of each hair cooled her down.

She wore a slim red dress that brought out the shape of her curvaceous body. It was one that Fox had bought her. It felt like such a long time ago until she thought about it harder, and went deeper into her own mind to reflect on the events that led her up to where she was now.

It went well with the jewelry, bracelets, tail bands, and even the snug collar that she didn't always wear, but she did now. It was one that her parents had given her when she was a little girl on Cerinia. Though… _Fox_… had bought her new things; she kept the old pieces for the sentimental value that they possessed. Same with her staff.

In her paws Krystal cradled and bouquet of roses. Though she was sad, for the time being she had gotten over the drying Fox McCloud. But, this night might change that, and the feeling would most likely come back. She thought she had gotten over it many times, but there was always a memory that brought her back to a drop of happiness and a flood of sorrow.

"Krystal," Panther purred, "I shouldn't be here."

"Relax Panther. I talked to Peppy. He says that he won't do anything to take you into the authorities tonight."

"How can you be sure about that? He's the General now! He can do anything he wants to!"

"I know he won't because Fox was like a son to him. He just wants this night to remember him. He wouldn't double cross us," a cold though cut through her mind "_Like I did_."

"If you're sure."

"Don't worry Panther. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"I'll try not to," the cat looked into the sky, "Quiet a night for a funeral."

Krystal knew it wasn't his fault, but she somehow felt upset with Panther, like it was somehow his doing that Fox was dead. Krystal didn't know what was wrong with her.

Knowing deep down that it was her fault, she wanted to blame someone else, anyone else, "Try to stay focused and remember why we are here, Panther."

"Of course, how could I forget."

Krystal growled as they walked up the steps to the hall, "Just let me do the talking."

"Oh ho-ok!"

There was a hound at the door. He was dressed in an army uniform. Medals were pinned over his heart on his black tunic. In his paws was a notebook, "Name's please."

"Krystal."

The dog didn't bother looking up at her. He ran his pen over the list up and down, "Krystal…" he asked as if he wanted a last name.

She sighed, "Just… Krystal."

"Ah yes Krystal. A former member of Starfox. How does it feel to play for the other team?"

"Please, just get on with it. I…" she went silent and stopped talking.

"Ok, I have Krystal plus one. Who is your guest?"

Panther cleared his throat, "I am. Don't I look like a _plus one_?"

The husky looked up from his note pad, as if he recognized the voice. He glared at the jungle cat, "You," he pointed a finger at the chin of the panther, "You're Goddamn lucky that the General is placing safety on you," he made perfect eye contact on the feline before putting his paw down, "Or else you'd be fair game," he exposed the butt of a Blaster that was tucked under his tunic into a holster.

The feline chuckled, "Yeah, like you could take me down."

"I wouldn't test that panther. I'm sure no one would be sad if you died right here right now. You're no Fox McCloud. You're no hero. Starwolf will never live up to what Starfox was. You're no heroes. You're the bad guys."

"Sergeant Banks. Stand down Marine," the door of the hall creaked open and an old hare's head emerged.

"Yes Sir. Understood General."

"Krystal. Please. Come in."

The vixen nodded, "Thank you Peppy," she turned to Panther, "Come."

Krystal thought that Peppy was happy to see her but, she couldn't have been more wrong. When the door to the outside shut, Peppy glared at her, "Alright Krystal," he said in a serious tone.

Krystal looked at the hare. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a flower over his heart. She stared at him with her eyes drifting around his face. She was scared that Peppy was going to kick her out, or even double cross her. He didn't look happy with her. He didn't look happy with anyone. And why should he have? He just lost his son.

"I only invited you because I thought that you cared about Fox! Now, if you don't, and I was wrong then I want you to walk out those doors right now and never show your face here again. You were a part of the team and you betrayed both Fox and me but worst of all you betrayed Starfox."

"Peppy…"

"And if you make so much as one _peep_ dishonoring me, Starfox, and especially Fox McCloud then you are out of here. I don't know why you came but if you came here to make trouble, then…"

Krystal cut him off, "No. Peppy… I… We'll be good. Just please, let me stay. Please Peppy."

Peppy was silent for a moment. All he did was stare at her, "I'm going to let you stay Krystal. But one wrong move from either you or Panther, and you're out. I don't want anything to go wrong here. I just lost the last of my family. And that's more then you can say."

"Peppy, I love Fox too! You think I wanted this to happen!? Do you think this is my fault!? And what about my family!? You think I haven't lost them!?"

"I don't know what to think right now Krystal. But, if I can find any lead in Fox's death, you can guarantee that whoever killed him is going to pay."

"Mmm. Fine. Do you have any idea what really happened to him?"

"My best investigators have classified his death nothing short of suspicious. But why do you care? You'll never come back."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'm sorry Krystal. I'm just… I've been under a lot of stress lately," Peppy gestured them in, "Please, sit where ever you like. Just keep in mind Krystal. My rules stand."

"I understand. I'm very sorry Peppy. Please forgive me. For all I've done."

"I have Krystal. I don't know what Fox would have to say though."

Krystal went first, she was worried. She knew that the previous members of Starfox would be here. She didn't want to talk to them; she was afraid that they would make fun of her and just put her down even more.

Peppy's attitude was especially different. The usually calm and understanding man had changed into an angry one. She feared him now for the first time. And hoped she wouldn't run into Bill, Slippy or even worse, Falco. But it was almost inevitable. Sooner or later she would probably have to deal with it.

The hall was surrounded with white and silver walls and floors. There were tables too. All rounded with white tablecloths over them. And on the clean floor, were one distinctive set of tracks that lead to a lone man sitting at one of the round tables.

Krystal fallowed the muddy footsteps. There were only a few free tables left, so Krystal decided that she and Panther would sit at the table with this man. It was better then sitting alone, even though Panther would be there with her.

She swallowed hard, "Excuse me?"

The man looked up at her from his seat. His muddy boots were on the table dripping onto the table cloth, and from there onto the floor. A loose pair of dark blue jeans covered his legs and a black leather jack was on his torso zipped open the reveal a grey shirt. A red bandana was wrapped snug around his neck and tied in the back. It looked as if it could be choking him.

Not only that, but around his paws were black half gloves that covered his palms, and half way up his fingers. It was hard to tell where the gloves ended and the fur and paw began though because of a luscious black coat that covered what Krystal assumed would be his whole body.

As he turned his head, he opened his mouth in a smile to expose one of his two canine teeth on his top jaw was a gleaming solid gold. He leered at the blue fox and tipped down his sun glasses, "Can I help you?"

His voice was familiar, but there was no way Krystal could have been sure. Her mind has deceived her so many times in the past couple of days. Plus that and her sixth sense being blocked, she had no idea what to think. The fact that she couldn't read peoples minds made her afraid.

"May we sit here?"

The black fox placed the glasses back over his eyes and put both paws behind his head to support his neck, "I'm sorry. These seats are… _reserved_," he slung the last word.

"But… the ceremony has already started. And! There's no one else…"

The black vulpine sighed. Motioned one arm forward and flipped his paw around and held it steady before Krystal, until he lowered all the fingers except for the middle one.

Krystal growled at the man, dropped the flowers from her paws and lunged forward. Panther hugged her around the stomach as Krystal threw herself into the air, her limbs flung around wildly as rage took hold of her. And she started to scream, but only let out a short yip before Panther covered her muzzle with his paw.

He whispered right in her ear, "Are you crazy?!" he looked over his shoulder, it was lucky that they were at the back of the room and no one had seen, "Do you want to be here!?"

She continued to squirm in the cat's arms until she calmed down, and Panther let her go. She looked at black coated vulpine, and bared her teeth at the fox. Only to see a smile wash across his face.

"I'll see you later," the dark fox said.

Krystal stared at the vulpine while speaking to the jungle cat, "Thank you Panther."

They took a seat at an empty table near the back on the room.

Panther put a paw on Krystal's, "Who was that?"

Krystal stared ahead, "I have no idea."

"Then why did you want to sit with him?"

"I just didn't want to be alone. I didn't want to be singled out. I thought maybe if we sat with someone else, we wouldn't have to talk to Falco, or Slippy."

"Well I don't understand is how _he_ managed to get in."

Krystal placed her flowers down on the table, "Me neither. He's so impolite! I'm sorry. I guess I just didn't want him to treat me that way."

"That's acceptable, who wants to be treated like that?"

Krystal wiped away a tear as Peppy spoke, "Now, if anyone would like to say their last goodbyes to Fox McCloud please do so at this time."

Krystal picked the flowers back into her paws again. Panther put a paw on her arm, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to say goodbye to Fox," she turned her head forward and shut her eyes, "I have to."

She started walking past all the tables filled with people. At the front of the hall was a picture of Fox surrounded by candles and wreaths. Krystal blushed. She felt like she was being singled out. But she proceeded.

She put the flowers down in front of the vulpine's picture, "I'm sorry Fox. I'm sorry that it has to end this way," it felt like everyone was listening to her. But it didn't matter. She had to do show him redemption for her sins against his soul

"Fox, you rescued me. You're my hero. I love you. I will always love you," she started to whimper and sniffle, "You have to forgive me. It's the only way that I can go on. Please just give me a sign."

She stood there with her eyes closed. She waited for something to happen. But nothing came. Her heart skipped a beat as someone put a paw on her shoulder, "I'm sorry Miss, you're time is up."

It didn't sound like she was crying but her eyes streamed tears of sorrow. She wiped her eyes and walked back to her table. Past all the guests. Past all the people that she didn't know. Until she came to the safety of her own seat.

"Good job Krystal."

"Thank you… Panther," she closed her eyes. Memories immediately started to blur her vision. Fox's face filled her minds eye. She tried to wash it away. But they all kept coming back. And his voice, it was all coming back, "Is it getting hot in here?"

Panther raised one eyebrow, "No. Are you ok?"

She started to breathe heavier and harder. Her palms started to sweat and she put her head down on the table covering her eyes, "I think it's getting hot in here," it felt like the walls were closing in around her, "I need some air!"

Panther grew concerned, "Krystal just take it easy. Breathe for a while. You're acting crazy."

Krystal lifted her head shouted out at the top of her lungs, "I'm not acting CRAZY!!"

Everyone in the hall turned around and stared at her. She spotted some men in uniforms whisper amongst themselves before nodding. Two dogs in tuxedos marched toward her and Panther. The whole hall was completely silent as everyone watched.

The larger of the two dogs with a brown fur coat soon stood in front of Krystal, "Miss, I'm afraid that we are going to have to ask you and your party to leave."

"I'm sorry! It won't happen again!"

"I'm sorry Miss, our orders are clear," said one of the Army Officers.

The other one came into the conversation too, "Both of you are to leave immediately. We have authorization to use force."

"That's correct."

Panther was starting to get edgy, "Come on Krystal. Let's go."

"No! I want to stay here! I want to see Fox!"

"Maim, I'm going to count to three. If you haven't left your seat we will use our authorization and escort you off the premises by means of force. Do you understand?"

Krystal shook her head, "No!"

"One…" the canine paused, "Two… Three."

Krystal knew that if the man didn't have a weapon, she would be able to beat him easily and perhaps even be able to take on the other one as well. As a Cerinian warrior, she was taught well in hand to hand combat, and if she had her staff, then it wouldn't even be a fair fight if there were two more of them.

Krystal growled as one of the dogs wrapped his paw around her wrist. She could think of a million ways to get away from the grab and fight back, but she didn't. She let the Marines carry her out, and lock her and Panther outside the doors in the rain.

She collapsed on the stairs of the hall, and sobbed to herself.

"Come one Krystal. Let's head back to the hideout."

"I don't want to! I don't want to go anywhere! I want to die! I want to see Fox! I need him!"

Krystal lowered her voice as the doors to the hall opened. A police car drove up the street and parked at the end of the sidewalk at the same moment. The doors of the hall broke apart as one canine and feline held a black fox by the paws. A glowing pair of plasma handcuffs held his paws behind his back.

"…you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. You have the…"

As the trio neared the police cruiser the black fox head butted one of the officers, dropping him to the wet, sloppy ground. The feline grabbed a black police bat from his belt and struck the fox in the back.

The feline then shoved him into the car, "Big mistake buddy!" with that, one officer got into the car while the other one walked in the rain back toward the hall.

"Excuse me, Officer?" Krystal wiped her eyes with the backside of her paw, "Who was that man?"

"I'm sorry. I cannot release that information to any civilians."

"Very well," she said.

"And, I'm sorry for your loss. Have a goodnight," the feline walked away after giving the panther a quick sneer.

All the vixen could do was nod. She watched the police cruiser drive away in the rain and forgot about it. She drew a deep shuddering breath into her lungs, and stood up, "Panther, can we leave? I never want to come back here again."

"I thought you'd never ask."

Krystal didn't know what the next few days would bring. If there was anything that she could hope for, it was that she would get over Fox. She couldn't let his death go, until she let her love for him go.

And she wasn't sure she if she would be able to do that. Ever.


	9. A Fine Madness

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter IX**

**A Fine Madness**

* * *

_"You are tangled up and scared,  
Tornados running wild inside your head,  
Sleepless nights and hands clenched tight,  
Running from tornados in the nights, _

All these things that keep you up at night,"

**SIXTY MILES DOWN –** _**"All These Things"**_

* * *

She wondered if she was going insane. She wondered if it was her love for Fox that had brought her back. Fate, destiny, it didn't matter she was here now. And it didn't look like anyone had been here since. Krystal stood in the hanger of the Greatfox II with her staff in her right paw while leaning the other against a wing of her Cloudrunner fighter.

In the hanger, there were still three Arwing II's wrapped up. It was completely silent, but the internal of the flagship was still lit up with the synthetic plasma lights.

She knew that she shouldn't be here. If she was caught, she would be in some _deep _trouble. But, it didn't look like anyone had even touched the ship since… his death. Even though this was the second Greatfox that had been built, she had spent a sufficient amount of time on it as a part of Starfox. They were basically the exact same.

She took a deep breath and a single step forward. The only thing that she could hear was the sound of her boots on the silver floor and her heart beat in her own ears. She made her way through the deep halls of the Greatfox II. She walked past the doors until she paused.

The little vixen looked to her left. It was the door to Fox's room. That is if it were the same as the first Greatfox. Krystal tightened her grip on the staff and stared at the door, "Fox?" half of her expected Fox to be there and all of her wanted him to be. Just like old times. But the only reward she received was silence.

Krystal turned her whole body toward the door. She wiped her nose with the back of her paw, "Fox?" she whimpered, "Are you in here?" her mind ran loose in her own head, "_Oh Please God, let him be in here! Let it all be a big joke! Let me have him back!"_

Krystal came closer to the door until it slid open. The room was dark, "Lights on," she stated.

The plasma lights slowly started to fade in and the whole room was soon illuminated. It was messy. The bed wasn't made. The quilt drooped from one side of the bed and onto the floor. Over by the desk it looked like he had swept his arm across it and thrown everything off onto the floor.

The sound of her boots tapping echoed through the room. Her paw drifted down toward his nightstand and pulled it open. It was essentially empty, except for a few old pictures.

She was afraid to touch anything else. She was afraid of what Fox might do, what Fox might say… what he would have said… if he were alive, "Fox?" she looked around, "Are you here?"

Nothing. It felt like her throat was starting to swell. She let out a gasp and whimpered, "Fox! I'm sorry. Please come out. I want to be with you! I want to be a part of Starfox!"

She knew that she never should have turned down his offer back to Starfox. If she had just forgiven him…. but she didn't. And it was done. There was nothing she could do. It was her fault.

Without looking at the pictures she swiped them and slipped them into the collar of her suit. She tucked them down just so that they were above her breast, but not visible. She backed out of the room with watery eyes.

There was one thing she could do to find out about Fox. She had to get to the Greatfox's bridge. She had to find ROB.

Krystal ran the rest of the way to the bridge. When she got to the door it opened automatically. The bridge was dark; only being illuminated by the stars, and the green blue plant Corneria which spread out in front of the ship's view window. She didn't turn on the lights, it was too beautiful. The robot was powered down at its seat at the center of the darkened room.

She put her paw on its cold metallic shoulder, "ROB"

Krystal jumped and spun around as all the lights in the control room flashed on. The robot's head sprung up, "Sleep mode deactivated. Operational system ROB64 online. Running system checks… all systems are on standby."

"Sshhh! ROB! Be quiet!"

The robot turned its head toward the female fox, "Identity confirmed. Krystal. Former Starfox member. Gender, female. Origen, Cerinian."

"Yes ROB that's me. I need to know what happened on the day of Fox's death."

"Negative. Non-Starfox member. Access to system schematics, denied"

"What!?"

"Alert. Unidentified Cornerian vessel about to dock in Greatfox Mark II hanger."

"Oh no!" Krystal gasped, "Their coming," she gripped her staff and bolted out of the bridge and toward the hanger. But before she got there she was stopped by the sound of a clunky _click._

"Freeze!! CSNC!!"

The vixen froze solid. Krystal slowly started to turn around. Behind her was a dog in a clean white uniform. Black buttons ran up the tunic while a strong crease led down his bright bleached white pants to gleaming black boots. The hound held a Blaster in both paws pointing it straight at Krystal's forehead.

The dog quickly yipped, "Who are you!?"

"I…" Krystal took one step.

"Halt!" the man looked at her staff, "Put it down."

Krystal knew that if she didn't comply, then she would surely be shot. Her telepathic sense was blocked right now for some reason, but she didn't need it to tell her that.

"Go on drop it."

The vixen looked at the man, then the staff, moving not her head, but her eyes only, "Never."

Krystal lunged at the Naval Soldier. They were trained to be fast. But not that fast. Krystal was a Cerinian warrior. The Officer was far less then a challenge. She realized that after doing this, she wouldn't be able to return to Corneria again, but they had already discovered her on the Greatfox. It was all or nothing now.

The staff cut the air a knocked the Blaster clean out of the soldier's paw. She rolled the other end of it around, striking him in the stomach with the blunter jeweled end. She almost smiled. It was too easy. The dazed Naval Officer cringed at his torso gasping for air.

He didn't get time to fall over onto the floor. Krystal pinned him against the wall, with her staff against his neck. Pushing harder, looking into the hounds eyes, she pushed her staff horizontally against his esophagus, choking him, slowly killing him.

The white dressed Naval Officer struggled, trying to pull it away from his neck. Though Krystal was not stronger, she was more experienced, trained, smarter, better. She watched the man choke until his eyes rolled back into his head and stopped struggling. She pulled the horizontally held staff away from his neck and watched the body flop to the cold floor.

This is when she realized how aggressive she must have looked. Her nose was wrinkled and pulled back. Her fangs bore, and with the expression of her eyes almost made her look like she possessed an evil smile before she let it all slide away, in fear of herself.

She dropped the staff. It _clanged _to the floor. Krystal was scared she whispered to her, "What's happening to me?" the blue fox's gaze fell to her paws. She looked at each individual claw tip is disgust of her actions. Her eyes ran down her blue suit in disgrace, "I'm a monster."

"Come on! This way! Something's wrong!"

"_I have to get out of here,_" Krystal snatched her staff off the metallic floor. The voices were still far off and down the hall way. But, she had to get to her ship to make her escape.

It wouldn't be hard for the Cornerian Navy Space Corps soldiers to corner. She was faster, but only had so many places to go. Plus they could easily hear the distinctive tapping of her boots down the halls of the Greatfox II.

Her heart was racing. She was in deep trouble, "_Krystal! You never should have come here! You never should have listened to that calling! You never should have listened to yourself!_"

Krystal took one of the back ways back to the bridge. She hoped there weren't any guards around her Cloudrunner fighter. The door slid open silently. In the hanger was a newly parked Cornerian Space Naval Corps vessel.

There, now she saw her problem. One guard was placed at her Cloudrunner. He ran his paw over the blue and white paint. The guard stepped off of the wing and back onto the deck of the Greatfox.

Krystal watched attentively. Obviously the guard would be armed. They all should be, and at a distance, Krystal wouldn't stand much of a chance. Not until she could get close that was. Then, the tables would be turned in her favor. No question about it.

It was now or never. She had to attack now, or her opportunity would be over, and she would be out numbered.

Krystal started to tiptoe at first. Needless to say, it didn't work that well in the boots and she was soon spotted. The Naval Soldier immediately shouted, "Stop!"

The vixen wasn't about to listen. The man pointed his sidearm to Krystal's head, but she was already too close. He had already lost. The Cerinian staff struck him in the stomach, immediately winding him, before the other end hit him in the head, dropping the soldier to the floor.

She wasn't sure what happened after that. She couldn't remember what she had done. But by the time the Naval Soldier's body had settled to the floor, a great deal of blood had accumulated.

Just one more thing that would keep her awake in the night, on the last that already ran long.

Krystal wasted no time boarding her Cloudrunner. By the time she had cleared the Greatfox II hanger, she was engulfed in a fury of tears, ashamed of what she had done. Ashamed of what she had become. Ashamed of herself in the eyes of Fox. What would he say?

_**

* * *

**_

X

* * *

"Sir. How about him?"

Five men walked through the long hall of the Cornerian Penitentiary. Each one in a different part of the Cornerian Military, one in blue, one in black, one in green, one in white and the last was the CO in his grey formal dress.

Colonel Kole Harper walked in front of all the NCOs. One of which was Sergeant Major Paul Ramirez of Corneria's Army and The Chief Master Sergeant of Corneria's Air Force Jim Felon, along with one NCO from the Space Navy and Marine Corps. All of them were selected to lead a special program. Few of them knew more about it except for the project name, Slayer.

The leading Officer was an orange feline. He rubbed his tiny goateed hair on the end of his chin, "What's so special about this one Ramirez?"

The raccoon took his place beside the Colonel. His paw tip tapped at the PDA, "This one's name is Dan Gambol. Multiple counts of mugging, one count of man slaughter and he held up a convenience store with a ball point pen. Two accounts of attempted suicide under his belt as well Sir. I'm not sure if this guy is exactly what you would be looking for."

The orange feline stepped away from the glass, keeping the convict in his cell, "We can't have anyone with accounts of suicide in Slayer. It's too risky. Let's recap. What do we have for Slayer?"

"Colonel, Sir," the Army Sergeant looked down at his pad, "Multiple candidates from the Marine Corps, and the Army. A few from the Navy and Air and Space Force too but not quite as many. They might get filtered out."

Air Force Sergeant Major Jim Felon budded in, "There are some potential candidates from the penitentiary as well Colonel."

"I understand that Sergeant."

The German Sheppard tapped at the glass of a completely dark cell. Even though they were friends he spoke to Ramirez formally. They were both in uniform after all, "Army Sergeant Ramirez."

"Yes Sir?" though they were equals, it was formal courtesy of the Military to address each other in such a matter.

"Is there anyone in this cell?"

The raccoon looked at his PDA, "Jail layout says that it is currently in use by a new con. Only brought in a few weeks ago, he's still fresh meat."

The Colonel looked into the darkened cell, "Ramirez?"

"Quite the bad-ss if I do say so myself Sir."

"Get on with it Sergeant Major."

Ramirez nodded, "Yes Sir, sorry Sir," he paused, searching through the data base, "Says hear that he doesn't have much a civilian record. No one even knew he existed until he was caught two weeks back now. Get this; he was drug in here during Fox McCloud's private funeral."

"Why Sergeant?"

"At a local hair salon he killed one of the workers for; and I quote Sir; 'Dieing my fur wrong'."

"Hmm, is that all?" asked the Colonel.

"No Sir. One account of assault, one count of resisting arrest too; the charge of assault was against an officer. This guy head butted him. Dropped the officer to the ground instantly. Quite the headstrong fella'."

The feline began to take interest. He couldn't even see the person in the cell. The bullet and shock proofed glass wasn't tinted, but the cell was perfectly dark, "You said something about a civilian record?"

"Yes Sir. There is none. Aside from those charges of course, no one even knew he was alive."

"Umhmm," the orange cat began to scratch at his chin again, "Open this cell."

"Yes Sir," Ramirez used the PDA to open the cell. The glass window slid upward.

The Colonel let the room go silent for a moment. The cell was still completely dark until from the room came a voice;

"Can I help you?"

The orange cat spoke into the blackest corner of the room, "Maybe. How would you like to help the whole Lyl…?"

"I'm not interested."

"How about the Army, the Marines…"

The voice from the darkness spoke deeper and more serious, "Beat it."

"Space Force, Navy?"

"I said get lost, you suit. I'm not getting drafted into any of your b-llsh-t programs. I know that you guys are looking for more 'grunts' for saving the galaxy. I will do no such thing."

"You wouldn't be a grunt. Everyone is an equal part of the Military."

The voice moaned, "Alright, here we go. Now I get the lecture on how everyone is an equal part of the team. How each person is only as fast as the slowest."

"Not exactly. If you listen to me, I can promise you independence. No one else to worry about, but yourself," Colonel Harper frowned, "How much different would that be from your life now?" the Colonel waited but he didn't get a reply from the convict. So he went on, "What if I told you I can get you out of here? That everything that you've ever been can be left behind?"

It was silent for a short time. Before the prisoner spoke, "You've got my attention."

Harper cracked a smile, "We just need to ask you a few questions, and clear a few things up with you."

"I'm listening."

"Very well," the CO stepped back, "Go ahead Ramirez."

"Thank you Sir. Alright, do you have any family?"

"No."

"No? Any children? Parents?"

"No."

"Occupation?"

"Don't have one."

"Any experience with small arms? Fighter craft?"

"Yes."

"Yes? With which one?"

"Both."

"Alright last question. Any spouse? Any significant other?"

The room was consumed by silence for what felt like hours until the figure in the dark finally gave the Officer his answer, "No."

The Colonel relived the NCO, "Thank you Sergeant Major that'll be all," the orange cat walked deeper into the cell, "So, are you interested in taking part in our _program_?" he slung the last word.

"What are you going to do for me?"

"I'll grant you a pardon from this ungodly place. You'll never have to spend time in a prison again."

"Hmm. What do I have to do for you?"

"All you have to do is agree."

"Hmp!" the blackness let out a quickly gasp as a laugh, "Agree to what?"

"Unfortunately that's all I can tell you. But I can promise you freedom. And I can promise you on revenge. I can promise you independence. I don't know what made you what you are. But whatever it was, I promise you the chance to get even with the life you led."

"Alright. I'm in."

"Ok," the orange cat leaned in closer, "What's your name?"

It was the very first thing that they saw from the darkness. It was a gleam from the dark corner. A single luminous gold shimmer came into view to the Cornerian Military personal. Each one felt a shiver go down their spines the golden object shone and the convict spoke;

"Syxx."

The orange cat regained his straight posture, "Very well then, Mister _Syxx_," he then turned to the man in his formal Black uniform, "You know what do to Marine."

"Sir," the Cornerian Marine reached to his side to wield a small black weapon. He pointed it into the corner of the dark cell and fired. The gun barley made a sound as the projectile left the chamber and sank into the hide of the man with a shallow _fffutt_.

_**

* * *

**_

X

* * *

Panther, Leon, and Wolf sat in the lounge of the Starwolf hideout. Panther, over the past few weeks had been growing ever more concerned about Krystal. Ever since she found out about the death of Fox she was mostly silent, and antisocial to the rest of Starwolf.

Along with that, she became came prone to sudden outbursts and changed from sorrowful to violent mood swings.

"I'm a little worried about Krystal," Panther broke the silence of the team watching the large TV in the lounge.

Wolf leaned his cheek onto his paw. His voice held its deep evil tone as usual, "How so?"

"All she does is sleep. I don't know what to do."

"Look Panther, I want you to keep your love life away from the other operations of this team. Love is what tears apart teams. Caring is what tears apart teams."

"Ha!" Leon sneered in his scratchy tone. His voice used to be soothing and gentle. But that all changed when Starwolf had a conflict with Starfox over the baron and lifeless planet Venom.

When Fox McCloud shot down Leon over the Venom, the crash of the Wolfen fighter impaired his ability to speak naturally. The crash literally destroyed his voice box and almost killed the chameleon, but he survived and had to get his whole throat rebuilt.

Same thing happened to Wolf O'Donnell. Though his voice didn't get affected, the legendary Fox McCloud shot him down and took out one of his eyes. Therefore Fox was responsible for the single bionic eye that would scar him forever. That was why he planned to get revenge on McCloud. But he never did get the chance. Fox McCloud was already dead.

Leon went on, "I told you that she would be weak! She was only on _Starfox_."

"Never the less," Wolf stared at Leon before turning back to Panther, "She is a good pilot. Fox trained her well and I don't plan on loosing her."

"Hey boss!" the chameleon scratched, "You said _caring _tears apart teams. What about us?"

"Nah!" the Wolf slouched deeper into his chair, "You see, I don't care about you goons. If you can't take care of yourself, then you're off my team. As long as Krystal can do that, and I don't care, she's still in."

"Boss," Panther purred, "Haven't you noticed anything about her?"

"I try to avoid talking to her."

"Still, she just sleeps, and besides to eat every once and a while, she never comes out of her room. I'm worried."

"Just give her some more time Panther. Let her get over it."

"It's been weeks!? How long could it take!?"

Wolf grinned, "She still had feelings for the kid. She'll get over it."

Leon grouched, "I'm still a little disappointed though."

Wolf lifted his lip to expose a single canine tooth, "You're disappointed!? I'm the one that wanted to get revenge on him! But _no_! The kid has to go die," he sighed, "Great job d-mb-ss."

Their conversation was interrupted. The voice came over the Sargasso Hideout's intercom system, "Sorry to bother you boss, but there's an unauthorized ship taking off from hanger one."

Wolf sat up straight in his seat, "What!? What do you mean!? I didn't give anyone clearance to leave Griffin!!"

"I know that Sir! Scanners identify the craft as a… Cloudrunner."

"A Cloudrunner!?" Panther jumped out of his seat and bolted to one of the many windows of Sargasso hideout. From the decks below a blue and white ship flashed out of the hideout, "Griffin! Open a channel to that ship."

"At once Mr. Coroso," the system went silent for a moment, "You're on now."

Panther placed both paws against the window, "Krystal!? What are you doing?"

_**

* * *

**_

X

* * *

The little blue fox spoke with the innocent accent that she had tongued before being accommodated into the Lylatian culture, "I'm so sorry Panther."

The black cat's voice crackled through the radio, "Where are you going!? Come back!"

"I can't do that. I…" she gripped her paws into the twin throttles harder and spoke through clenched teeth, "I won't be a part of Starwolf any longer."

"What!? Why!?"

"It… it just hurts too much. I can't do it anymore. I just can't take it!"

She knew that Panther would try to redeem her, "Just come back, you'll get over it."

"_You'll get over it,_" the words of Fox echoed through her mind. The exact same thing that he told her when he forced her out of team Starfox, and dumped her. The words that she would never be able to forget.

The inner beast within her emerged, "Don't tell me that I'll get over it!! Don't ever tell me that!! That's the exact same thing that Fox told me!! I don't care!! You have no idea what it's like!!"

"Fine Krystal. I guess I understand. I just want you to know one thing."

"What!?"

"I love you."

Krystal drew an extremely deep shuddering breath into her lungs. She closed her eyes and tapped at the systems on the ship, knowing where each and every single one was by heart alone. The sound of her engines starting to charge whistled through the small ship. Just before she thrust forward on both of the control sticks a single word escaped her lips;

"Yeah."


	10. My Kurse

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter X:**

**My Kurse**

* * *

"_You're always looking back,  
Running from the past,  
You're always sweating me,  
__About the next big heart attack,_

_You're looking over your shoulder,  
__Staring down the path,_

_I'm falling down,  
Falling down,  
Falling down,__All the voices mistaken,  
Shake it off!  
__Shake it off!  
__  
We're all dying in the end,"_

**ATREYU – **_**"Falling Down"**_

* * *

"_How long has it been since I got a good nights rest? Four… five days?_" Fox McCloud was absolutely exhausted.

A few hours ago, he had returned to the Greatfox from his most recent adventure on planet Sauria. And now to get paid, there was substantial amount of paperwork involved. Peppy had burned through most of it while he was on mission, but there were still a few things that he had to look over.

And of course, he and the team had received a surmountable bonus for having found out that Andross was involved. In the end, it just added up to more paper work for Fox to go through.

It would all be worth it though. The Greatfox was in desperate need of repair and upgrades. Fox also had a sharp eye on the new model of Arwing that would be available.

At least Falco had come in and helped him with Andross. Sure, he probably could have managed by himself. But having Falco drop by and help him out by dropping nova bombs sure did make the process a lot quicker and easier.

And then there was Krystal. Once having defeated Andross, Fox swung by the top of Krazoa Palace to take a look for her again. When she wasn't there, he shrugged it off and forgot about it. Instead of having Krystal at the top of the palace, he was greeted by hundreds of members of the Sharpclaw tribe.

Krystal was definitely unique. Certainly different from any of the other girls that he had met. He had only known her a period of six or seven hours and she had already managed to embarrass him on several occasions. The worst of all having been when ROB pointed out his body temperature rising.

Sure, the cute little blue fox smiled at him and didn't seem to mind. But it was a matter of pride.

Fox also had learned very much about the smaller vixen. She wasn't Lylatian and her fur wasn't died blue, but naturally grew in that color. It was odd, but defiantly beautiful.

The same went for the white tattoos and ancient-like armor, not to mention the sandals as well. Her culture must have been many generations behind the Lylatians. Before they died out that is. That was one thing that Peppy found out. Krystal was probably the last of her species, but her DNA had the exact same structure as Lylatians.

She was unique, "_She would make a good addition to the team_," he thought.

He had been considering asking her to join Starfox. She had little experience as a pilot, but with some lessons that could change. Of course, she probably wouldn't be trained with firearms either. She was very talented with her staff, and it had come in extremely handy for Fox too. Though she had little experience with advanced technology, she could learn fast.

Fox had already found out that the blue vixen was a fast learner. She kept her mind focused and would make an excellent pilot, and even learn to be quite the marksmen if she put her head into the game.

It's not like she had a better place to go anyways. For all she knew, she would be the last one of her kind. It wouldn't be fair to leave her alone in the universe with so little familiarization of Lylatian technology.

She had already learned to speak and decipher Lylatian. That was amazing.

Fox McCloud brushed his paws down his face, stretching out the hide. He locked his fingers together and pushed his arms out in front of him, snapping and cracking the joints in his fingers before returning to his normal position, with his back into the sofa in the lounge.

It felt good to shower and be in clean clothes at least.

The door of the lounge slid open, breaking Fox's concentration. It was Krystal. Instead of her warriors outfit, she wore one of Fox's sweaters over her torso, leaving her lower half looking bare and exposed with what seemed to be only his long sweater covering her, and nothing else.

The cute little vixen grinned, "Good evening Mister McCloud."

"Hello Krystal," he returned the smile.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all," he looked at his sweater over the vixen's body.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I was a little cold. I should have asked first. I really hope that you don't mind."

"Nah, it's fine."

"And thank you for your room Mister McCloud. But, I don't mind sleeping somewhere else. The past few days have been hard on you. Are you sure that you wouldn't rather sleep in your own bed? I don't mind moving. I can even sleep in my ship if I'm a bother anywhere else. And I hope you don't mind, but I took a shower as well. Was that alright to do?"

"That's fine Krystal. And the room is least I could do for you. Now, do you need help with something? Help finding anything?"

"I was just wondering, where I could get a glass of water from?" she didn't like to admitted it, but it took her a long while to learn how to operate the shower controls alone. She had never been around some much technology. It was so much to take in at once. She needed help, and Fox seemed like the perfect person to teach her.

Fox set the papers down on the table in front of him and swung himself off of the sofa, "Right over here."

"You didn't have to get up," she said, "I didn't want to be a bother."

"I can assure you, you're no bother. All you have to do is ask."

"Well, alright. If you're absolutely sure."

Fox took a glass from the upper shelf, placed it under the tap and began to fill it with the cool water of the Greatfox's hefty reserves; then, handed it to Krystal, "Here."

She took the glass with both paws, "Thank you very much Mister McCloud."

"No problem," he replied while grinning nervously. Fox took a seat on the couch again, and began going through the remaining forms of work.

The vixen quickly swallowed the whole glass of water and licked her lips. She put the glass under the tap to get more. Krystal had not watched what Fox had done to activate the tap; it was different from the shower.

One the other side of the sink, were three buttons. Each had a black background with different colored symbols. One white one with bubbles, a red shaped drop and a blue shaped drop.

She was afraid to ask Fox. Even though the man was extremely kind, she didn't want to sound naive. But she had to learn, "Excuse me. Captain McCloud?"

"Please Krystal. Fox is fine."

"Of course…" she stuttered, "_Fox_. Can you show me how this thing works?"

He turned his head toward her and smiled, "Just press the blue on in the shape of the water drop for cold water. The other two are for hot water and soap."

"Alright," she looked down at the buttons and mashed the one with the blue marking. The tap flicked on and quickly filled her glass, she pressed it again to shut if off.

Krystal sipped at the next glass. She had been yearning to learn more about this _Fox McCloud. _His mind was defiantly different from all the others aboard this ship. She could sense it. The fox had already been having her fun with him, embarrassing him in front of the rest of his team.

Fox watched the vixen fumble with the water and the tap. It was cute really. She had no idea how to operate the simplest things aboard the ship.

The vulpine had also become lost in her radiant blue fur a few times. Like, he was right now. His eyes stared at her toes, and the ancient sandals she wore, that made a distinctive tapping resonance everywhere that she stepped.

He ran his watch up her leg further, and saw the bottom half of a sun-like tattoo on he thigh. The other half was covered by his baggy black sweater that sheltered the rest of her body. But, it did look excellent on her. It brought out all the curves on her convex body.

The golden collar around her neck looked like it was choking, but her bushy blue tail was braided beautifully into separate sections. She did look very playfully sexy. But by the time, he worked his eyes to her head; he realized that she was looking right at him. Maybe it wasn't the whole time, but she defiantly caught him staring.

An immense grin broadcasted through Krystal's face. She giggled at the vulpine, "Sexy, am I Fox?"

Fox shook his head away with wide eyes, "I'm sorry! That was terribly inappropriate of me!" his mind dashed through his head, "_Awesome job Fox. Her first impression of you is now; 'that perverted Captain'._"

"You're not a pervert Fox. It was absolutely appropriate. Hmm, not to mention completely natural."

Fox stumbled over his own words as he often did talking to Krystal, "Wh - How did you…" he shook his head in disbelief, "You aren't a…"

Krystal grinned and nodded furiously, "I'm a telepath. All Cerinians are," she narrowed her gaze and cocked her head cutely, looking deep into the vulpine's endless eyes, "I thought you knew that Fox."

Fox's heart began to beat faster and his palms got sweaty. This was bad. It meant that she could literally take anything that he was thinking of and use it against him. There was no place he could be safe from her now. His face grew red as he tried not thinking of her attractive body.

_**X**_

Krystal's eyes slowly slipped open. She moaned and tried to stretch herself out from the confining cockpit of the Cloudrunner. The vixen could feel each bone lengthen as it snapped back into its rightful place. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep. The Cloudrunner wasn't exactly meant for that, no fighter really should have been.

She sighed, wondering if her visions were dreams or nightmares of memories haunting her. One thing that they always included was Fox, her and a memory that they had shared years ago.

She thought that maybe Fox's spirit was toying with her. Perhaps Fox's soul still had to get even with her for all that she had done to him. Fox was dead, and he was still getting revenge on her. She could feel Fox all around her, sensing him watching her.

If she wanted a guardian angle, she got it. But, this one might not promise to keep her safe.

Krystal looked out the canopy of the ship. It had been two days since she had left Starwolf. And she couldn't be more miserable. She had no where to go. No where to belong. She could have run to Fox. He would have taken her in again, if she wouldn't have ruined it… if she hadn't have killed him.

The stars here to her were unfamiliar. And that was about the only thing that gave her hope. She never wanted to see Starwolf again. Just the very thought of it made Krystal sick to her stomach. So far, her life had been a disaster. But she could blame no one but herself for that. She had gotten greedy. She had gotten vengeful.

How Krystal wished that she could have at least gone back to Corneria and maybe had a chance to start a new life yet again. She also wrecked that for herself, she got greedy again. She had to go find out what happened to Fox, but of course that plan failed horribly. The only thing that she had learned was that he was most likely angry before he died.

Which made her lead to suspicions and hurt, "_What if Fox did commit suicide?_" she hated to think about it. From what she saw in Fox's room he was heated, "_That would just let more blame fall on me._"

Krystal decided not to think that. But if she ever did find that he did go suicide, because of her. She wouldn't be able to go on.

Krystal tried to make herself feel better, "_No. Fox would never do that. Fox was strong._"

The vixen reached a paw under her seat and brought out a little black box. Inside were the some things that she would cherish forever. Krystal promised herself that she wouldn't look at them until she was away form Starwolf.

The box creaked open as she undid the lock. Inside, pictures that she _stole _from Fox. Krystal hadn't looked at any of them yet. She hated to admit it to herself, but she was afraid. She had placed them face down; so that she couldn't see them when she first opened the box.

For all she knew, they could have been photos of ship components. She had no idea; but they were a part of Fox, and Fox belonged to her.

Krystal placed a claw on the picture and flipped it up. While resting the black box on her lap she held the picture in both paws before her. She swallowed hard, felling the saliva slip down her throat. It was a picture of her.

It was taken a long time ago. Years ago; when she had first met Fox and when Fox had first rescued her from plant Sauria, and Krazoa Palace. She still wore her ancient and primitive warrior outfit. Elegant plates covered her shoulders and the shell-like bra ran over her breasts leaving her stomach exposed with a fabric cloth draping over her legs and a necklace-like tiara that ran across her forehead.

The white tattoos that spun across her blue arm were exposed along with the sun-like tattoo on her thigh and though this picture was taken years ago, her face had virtually gone unfazed by the years. It still possessed that childish and young cute quality.

And Fox. She wondered why she fell in love with him in the first place. He never had possessed tact, and always seemed to blush when Krystal said something remotely related about love or even sex.

It must have been that boyish charm that he presented. The fox knew that he had loved her from the very beginning, even though it took him quite some time to admit it. She began to wonder if they could have ever been more. Questioning herself if Fox would have ever popped the question if she had come back to him.

She was sick of this feeling, always the burning of tears came into her eyes. She looked in the blackness of space and ran her claw over the picture. Then, Krystal froze. Something, didn't feel right. She ran her paw over the picture of herself again. The surface was uneven.

Krystal brought the picture closer to her eyes, staring at each fiber of the photo. She was right, the surface was uneven. There was a trio of round dots on the picture. They looked like they originated from drops of water.

Krystal began to whine while her jaw started to shiver, "Fox."

These circles on the picture weren't just any water marks. They were tear marks. Fox was crying. He was crying for her. He wanted to be with her. Fox just wanted to have her back. She thought that Fox didn't cry. She was obviously wrong. All he ever wanted was her.

Fox had, had everything taken away from him in his life. His parents died when he was still young, and he was left with nearly nothing. From the _nothing_ he turned his life into a legacy. But he always had to fight for what he wanted; nothing ever came easy to him. He just wanted one thing. He just wanted Krystal.

The days that she had thought she had gotten over Fox came back again. Her bottom jaw quivered. She thrashed her fists against the control consol, "IT'S NOT FAIR!! IT'S NOT FAIR!!" she threw her head back and bellowed at the top of her lungs, "FFFOOOOOOXXXXX!!"

It was his fault. Fox had left her. Fox had walked out on her. Krystal dug her claws into the armrests of the Cloudrunner, ripping the leather. Her mood had swung to an utter outrage with Fox.

"_Oh! If I could just give him a piece of my mind! If I could just tell him how foolish he was!_" her voice echoed in her own head.

And that name"_Krystal,_" she thought. The name that had given her nothing but trouble. She never wanted to hear it again. She looked down upon her suit. Ashamed of herself, and ashamed of killing Fox; the name "Krystal" was cursed.

She looked up through the clear canopy once again, "Cursed," she started to talk to herself, "I'm cursed. My name is cursed!" her eyes widened as she continued to blubber on to herlself, "My name is Kursed…"

She smiled for the first time in days. It was better then Krystal. She never wanted to hear that name again. She never wanted to hear _Fox McCloud_ again. It didn't matter, she probably never would.

She had no idea where she was to begin with. Maybe if there was people this far out of the Lylat System, they wouldn't be familiar with the names.

Deep down she knew that, that would be impossible. The _McCloud_ name was well known all over the Lylat System and if there was intelligent life out here, then they would probably know the name too.

She loosened her grip from the arm rest, calming herself down. She let out short burst of an insane laugh. She had been so foolish. She had been so blind.

Fox had been acting strange. They had just returned from another successful patrol through Sector Z. She had hoped for the best. By then they had been dating for a long time. Maybe it was time for Fox to make her happiness whole, and make her complete.

She remembered the butterflies in her stomach. She was so exited. She was so nervous. Fox was going to ask her the question. Fox was going to ask her to marry him. But it didn't happen. Instead of making her happiness complete, he did the exactly the opposite.

It came out of nowhere. He just stepped up to Krystal, and dumped her. And if that wasn't bad enough, he exiled her from Starfox. She figured that she could probably live comfortably with herself if Fox hadn't forced her away from Starfox. At least she could still be a member of the team that way.

Anyways, after she took up a career in the Cornerian Military Krystal was adopted by Starfox's rival, Starwolf.

It only took a couple months before she started dating Panther Coroso. An ex-assassin for Corneria's Military. It was true, Panther was charming, but Krystal wondered if she did ever actually _love_ him.

She probably just did it to get back at Fox. It did work too. Fox seeing her with Panther really got under his fur. She had fun with her ride with Fox. Making him angry, making him jealous felt so rewarding.

But when the time came she had an offer back to Starfox, she wasn't done with her ride. She milked it for more then it was worth. And she missed her fine window of opportunity to leave everything behind and be with Fox again.

But, if she had just listened to him, then he would still be alive. She wouldn't be going through this, she would be a member of Starfox, and everything would be… good.

She rested her paw on her forehead, propping it up with her elbow. One thing that she had regained the past day alone was her sixth sense, and she was very grateful for that. Maybe it was the solitary confinement that brought it back, giving her time to reflect on what had happened.

The downside of her telepathy was that it took a great deal of concentration. Especially to read minds. It wasn't all the time that she could do it, just when she tried hard. It made it a lot easier when she was interested in the subject or person.

She remembered the days when she embarrassed Fox. It was mainly when she had first met him. Krystal could take things out of his mind and turn them around on him. Or just simply answer questions that he had not asked yet. She didn't do it all the time, and left Fox privately in his mind.

She remembered once that she had caught him looking at her luxurious blue tail, and thinking about her shapely and sexy figure, it was the same thing that she had dreamed. She had spun around and caught him looking. Of course he apologized for being rude, even though he wasn't. Fox always used his manners but his face was sure red that time.

Maybe the fact that she had finally accepted it was her that killed Fox that had brought her extra sense back.

It didn't matter. It wasn't important now. She had her sixth sense back and thought better of asking more questions about it.

But what was important now, was that she find a place to go. Over the past days, Krystal had exhausted most of her food and water supplies. As long as the carbon recycler kept working she would still be able to hold out for a few more if she had to. She didn't want to, but it was the price she had to pay right now.

Krystal looked at her fuel. She had been fairly serious about that matter. She had been drifting out of the Lylat system without using the engine that often, but she was already well past the point of turning back, both mentally and… she didn't have the much cold fusion to fuel the Cloudrunner's engines quite that far.

The cute blue fox quickly puffed air out of her lungs, thinking, "_Maybe, if I'm lucky… I'll be dead soon. Then I can see Fox,_" she closed her eyes for what could have been hours for all she knew. Time just seemed irrelevant now.

Something sparked at her mind, waking her up. The vixen lurched to the end of her seat, put both paws on the glass of the Cloudrunner and stared attentively out the canopy. She wasted no time utilizing her sixth sense to see what her eyes couldn't.

She could feel life forms. She could sense thought waves. Something was out there, but she couldn't see it quite yet. She waited longer and soon was rewarded; a large ship came from the shadows of space.

It was about the same size as the Greatfox, perhaps a slight smaller, not as tall but about as wide and longer, it resembled more of a floating pillar then a ship. Most of it was grey, but many parts looked foreign to the hull of the craft. It was obviously an outcast flagship of some type. Just what she was looking for.

The vixen activated the beacon on the Cloudrunner, and almost immediately after she did. The ship broadcasted an open channel. She wasn't going to miss her chance. Not this time. Not again.

Krystal opened the channel, "Hello?"

"This is the Captain of the _Final Haste_ is anyone out there?" it was a females voice.

"Yes! There is! Can you hear me?"

"What are you doing here? Are you a spy?"

"No! I'm from Corneria."

"What is your business?"

"If you really must know," the vixen paused, "I'm seeking a new life. I'm trying to get away from it all. Can you help me?"

The channel went dead for a while and the fox wondered if they had left her behind and for dead, "We may be able to give you a paw and send you in the right direction."

Krystal sighed in relief, "Thank you! I'll do anything!"

"Does your ship have enough fuel to make it to the _Haste_?"

"Yes! Yes I do! May I come aboard?"

"You have clearance to land in the rear hanger Miss…" the voice paused searched for a name.

"Kursed. My name is Kursed."

"Aright… _Kursed_. You are clear for landing. Ensure you are unarmed."

"Thank you _so_ much!" with that the fox shut down the audio channel. She smiled to herself. It was time to shake it off. It was time to start another life. She had always ran from her past, and that wasn't about to change. She would just simply to forget it all.

After all, everyone was going to die in the end. Fox's was just a little untimely.

"I'll love you forever Fox. Don't forget about me," she held the black box closer to her chest, "I'll never forget about you."

She tried to be strong. Strong like Fox was. But it was so hard. She still wasn't over him yet, "I love you so much Fox. I'm so sorry!!" the blue vulpine shed what possibly could have been the last tears that she would ever cry for Fox McCloud.

From now on she would be known as Kursed. Nothing would ever be able to change that.


	11. Slayer

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XI:**

**Slayer**

* * *

"_Fires in my eyes and angels will go away,  
__Living in my head and it's changing me another day,  
__Changing all my dreams,  
__Chasing all my goals away,_

_Leaving me in pieces,_

_You never see it,  
__It really hits hard,"_

**SIXTY MILES DOWN – _"Virus"_**

* * *

The first thing that Syxx could hear was his own heavy breathing. He could see nothing at all. His head throbbed as it felt like thousands of pins had been driven into his skull. An indescribable amount of pain consumed his upper left arm, right were the arm met the shoulder.

The black fox moaned in a ragged voice, "Where am I?"

Syxx immediately regretted speaking after a blunt object was driven into his stomach.

He panted and gasped for air, "Who are you!?"

The fox cringed as someone took a blindfold off from over his eyes. A bright light shone directly onto his face, blinding him. Syxx fluttered his eyes, trying to hold onto consciousness. He didn't remember a thing, but here he was now. Three figures stood around him, their faces all blacked out from his temporary blindness.

The vulpine squirmed. He was being held in place by something connecting his wrists together, leaving him vulnerable and completely defenseless against any attack. Once more, when he looked down at his lap, he saw black fur. Syxx had been stripped down to nothing but his boxers.

Syxx coughed, "Let me go!"

"Quiet!" he was struck again in the stomach. As faces and shadows cleared, the vulpine could see that he was being struck with the butt of a standard issue M27 Plasma Machinegun.

The vulpine dropped his head, "What do you want from me?"

He felt a cool and sharp object press into the fur below his chin. He lifted his head and turned it to the side with the direction of the object, and now looked directly into the light above him, with a knife at his neck.

"Are you Syxx?"

"Yeah," he growled, "What's it to you?"

The knife dug deeper into the vulpine's fur, but still not cutting the hide, "Tell us about your history."

"Not much to tell," he paused to clear his throat, "Why do you care?"

"I suggest you do as I say."

"Why!? So you can kill me anyways?"

"Personally, I don't care! If it were up to me, I'd finish you right here, right now. Maybe, cut off your Achilles tendons and watch you flop around on the floor like a fish," he laughed.

Syxx's headache grew worse as he was forced to stare directly into the single bright light in the room. He folded his toes into the rest of his foot at that thought. Now realizing that his legs were not tied together, he thought about his next move.

"You are rather quiet Mister Syxx. What do you have to say about that?"

He coughed before making his reply, "Go to h-ll."

The interrogator laughed, "What did you say to me?"

"I said, go to h-ll you s-n of a b-tch."

"Haha! Pretty high and mighty for the hostage in the situation."

Syxx let his head fall as the knife was released from the bottom of his chin. He stared at one of the three men; it was a raccoon in what looked like simple civilian wear. Syxx couldn't get a good line of sight on the other two men.

The interrogator looked at the black vulpine's gold tooth, "That's some nice _bling,_" the man grabbed the fox's muzzle and ran a finger across the solid gold canine, "Where'd you manage to get that?"

Before Syxx could answer, the man pushed his muzzle away. The black fox's neck bent as the force drove him away. The black vulpine fluttered his eyes, "Kill me or set me free. But do not waste my time with talk."

The lead interrogator chuckled from the back of his throat, "You're in luck then," he spun his back around and stepped into the shadows, "This one knows nothing. Briggs, you know what to do."

One of the other interrogators came closer to Syxx, he held the Plasma Machinegun to the black fox's neck, "Understood Sir."

Syxx quickly acted. He shot one leg forward, catching the guard right in the groin. He dropping the weapon and fell to his knees. Syxx rolled sideways out of his seat, and brought his wrists under his bare feet. He could see them now. His black paws were being tied together with a pair of plasma handcuffs.

Syxx spun around, and swung both his paws as one into the assailant's face. It wasn't quite enough. The man shook it off, and rose what Syxx immediately documented to be a Blaster. The black fox repeated his action's, quickly belting the man across the face.

The steel edges of the plasma emitting cuffs cut into the man's jaw. This time it was enough. The hound fell with a yelp. Syxx spun around to take down the other assailant, but he was still on the ground cringing from the cheep shot that Syxx had given him.

The vulpine kicked the man in the stomach with his foot. His claws dug into the man's hide. But, just as quickly as Syxx had taken control of the situation, it all ended.

The dog with the Blaster pressed it into the black fox's bare back, "You're coming with me!"

Syxx froze and could do nothing but comply. The man that now took him hostage grabbed the machinegun off his comrade. A door slid open at one wall of the room. Syxx walked in front of the man, afraid to try anything funny.

The vulpine was forced to walk through long halls and corridors in nothing but his shorts. Then, the doors to the outside slid open. The air was fresh with the smell of rain. Even though the ground itself was dry, in the distance were thundering clouds. It was either early morning, or early late evening.

The hound slammed the butt of the Blaster down on Syxx's shoulder causing him to clench his teeth and close his eyes.

"Move!"

Syxx wanted to spin around and hit him so badly. But he withheld himself. Such an action would probably cost him his life.

Syxx stared out into the field. In front of him, were dozens more hostages that had placed on their knees in a single long line facing the storm that was coming over the dark horizon. The vulpine was held at gun point until the he was now standing in the center of the line.

He looked down at all of the hostages. Some were looking at the ground directly in front of them. Others looked at the horizon. But all were completely silent and Syxx immediately thought the worst. He thought they were all going to be executed.

"Take a seat!" Syxx's assailant smacked his back with the rifle.

The fox plunged into the ground with a loud yip, now just one of the dozens more in the single line. It was completely silent except for the far off but approaching thunder. Syxx had noticed a lot of different types of people in the line. Some were male, some female, raccoons, dogs, cats, and he even managed to spot a few fox's all nearly naked, shivering in the cool moist air.

Syxx slowly turned his head to his right. A female fox had been placed beside him. They met gazes for a moment, before the red vixen turned her blue eyes again, and slide them shut.

Syxx dared to turn his head further toward the vixen. On her shoulder was a white tattoo that had been written into her fur and skin, making it permanent. He remembered this white symbol. It was so familiar. The black vulpine knew that he had seen it before.

It all slowly came back to him. And before long he remembered. It was the same one that he had seen on the side of that strange silver fighter. It was the modified white nautical star. The exact same one that he had seen.

The vulpine silently gasped and spun his head around to look at his own burning left arm. The same white symbol that was tattooed into the vixen's upper arm was also written into his.

Syxx touched the tender area on his arm with his opposite paw. He knew now where he must have been, and who these un-uninformed people were. Syxx was on Corneria Military Base. The Cornerian Military was doing this to them.

Syxx sat there on his knees for what felt like ever. More hostages were placed at either end of the line. The storm grew closer, but besides that it was completely silent except for the far off thunder. Not a sound was made among anyone. Most of them were afraid. If their experience was anything like Syxx's had been, they must have been fed up too.

Syxx and the rest of the hostages waited longer, and longer. Until four men came out and stepped in front of the long line of people. Each wore a different type of uniform, black, green, white and blue. With them, there also came commandos of some kind, each in a combative camouflage green uniform and all holding a plasma machinegun.

The man in the formal green uniform spoke, breaking the perfect silence, "Greetings. I am Sergeant Major Paul Ramirez. Many of you probably have headaches from the tranquilizer. They will all pass momentarily," he tapped at his PDA leaving the area unvoiced for a moment, "I'm sure many of you are wondering why you are here. The answer is that almost all of you are the bottom of the barrel. Those of you that came from jails, consider this your parole."

Syxx stared at the raccoon in anger. It was the same one that he had to talk to while he was in prison. Syxx nearly made the mistake of speaking out, before he stopped himself and continued to listen.

"If you haven't been here before, welcome to the Cornerian Military Base. You are the elite few that qualify to take lead in a special program. If you'll look on your left shoulder, you'll find a tattoo of what we prefer to call the _Black Blade Star_. It will mark you forever. It can either been seen in white as you see right now, or in black which you will see later. Both mean the same thing."

Syxx couldn't hold himself back anymore, "Forever as what?"

The raccoon glowered at him, "Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all to _Slayer_. All of you are the genesis of the Lylat's most elite warriors. By the end of you're training, each and every one of you should be able single handedly take on and kill anything that gets in your way, no matter what. You will become the ultimate weapon."

A German Sheppard spoke, "Slayer is based on independence. You're team cannot drag you down, because you have no team. Every one of you is your own. You all have to learn to take care of yourself and yourself only!"

"Slayer is a project designed to cleanse the Lylat system of all rebellious forces covertly and without public intervention. We will make you the best that we can make you. I will be teaching you strategy in the class room along with other field exercises."

As soon as Ramirez paused the German Sheppard began, "I, am Chief Master Sergeant of the Corneria's Air Force. My region of the military takes care of all space and air fighter engagements. I will teach you the ways of the fighter pilot, and make you the best that you can possibly be behind the controls of a fighter. I also work closely with the engineers at SFX. For you greenhorns, that stands for _Space Fighter Xtension_. If you are familiar with SFX's work, then you'll know that they design the Arwing models, premiered by Starfox. Also they support ground engagements, like the SFX Landmaster, but that falls into Sergeant Ramirez's region."

A husky in a black uniform went on, "I'm Sergeant Major Jeff Aiello of the Marine Corps. Marines are some of the toughest fighters in the galaxy. I will make you better then my Marines. By then end of this program all of you will be able to fire a weapon sufficiently and effectively, leaving NO room for error! You will be taught the art of surviving in the most hostile environments. This will include all the elements. Assisting me will be your Sergeant Major, Paul Ramirez."

The last canine in the white uniform introduced himself, "I am Nathan Parks, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Cornerian Space Navy. I will teach you to how to thrive in a zero-G environment, and make maneuvers in the vacuum of space, as well as hand to hand combat."

"Now," the raccoon paused, "Does anyone have any questions?" before anyone had time to ask the man went on, "No? Good. It is currently nineteen hundred hours. That's seven in the eave. None of you will ever operate on the civilian clock again. Sergeant Aiello, what do you say you take the recruits for a run?"

A man in the line immediately rejected it, "But none of us even have clothes!"

Three of the NCOs walked away leaving all the recruits stuck with the Marine Sergeant, "Welcome to h-ll Slayers. We will now be doing a five kilometer jog around the base. Any of you have a problem with that?"

All the recruits glanced and the armed guards surrounding them. Everyone remained silent.

"Good. You are running for yourself and yourself only. Do not help anyone. You are an individual and take care of yourself only. Once we get back to the complex, you will be shown to your quarters, and fed a hot meal. The person that finishes last doesn't get to eat tonight. Now get a move on Slayers! Hop to it! Let's go!"

The Sergeant began to run, and the to-be Slayers soon fallowed. No one wanted to go to bed without a meal tonight.

As Syxx took his footing, he felt a drop of water fall onto his muzzle. The sky above grew dark. They wouldn't do this to him. No one was that cruel. But he was wrong. Soon everyone was running in the rain.

The rocks and gravel stung his feet and the run felt like eternity. Syxx didn't finish last and by the time that they had come back to the complex; his black fur was matted down to his skin and up to his shins was covered in mud.

Syxx grew even angrier as their promise for supper was soon denied, and the recruits were forced to do fifty pushups each in the mud. Syxx and most of the others had no problem with the easy fifty pushups. His athletic build treated him well.

Syxx didn't know how long he was there. But after probably an hour he was granted rest. The Marine Sergeant let them relax in the mud. The fox was cold. Shivers ran up his spine as he sat in the mud nearly naked. His body ached. Each muscle burned, and he felt weak. Usually he would have been able to keep up with this a lot easier, but he was hungry.

His feet had been virtually run raw. He could feel cuts and scratches on them. He was tired as well. He couldn't wait until he got into a nice warm bed. Then he wondered if he would even have a bed to sleep in tonight… or ever again. By the look of things, his chances weren't going to be that good.

At least his headache had passed. He looked around the field. Everyone was huddled into a ball with their knees to their chests, trying to keep warm. Some sobbed and whimpered but most didn't. Many were still probably confused, as was he.

"All right recruits. You've all earned some dinner, even those of you that finished last. First, let's get you some clothes though. Until we find some proper uniforms for you to wear you will be fit into Marine training gear."

Everyone obliged. They were all too tired and to run down to resist. Many had to stumble into a line. Syxx was at the front, and they were soon led into a large hanger on the runway. By then it was good and dark out, and any shelter would have sufficed.

The hanger felt even colder on Syxx's feet. But it was shelter from the rain. And it felt good. As soon as he entered the hanger, he could smell the glorious sent of warm food. The fox was starving, but he wasn't aloud to eat yet.

The Marine Sergeant led them to the opposite end of the hanger as the food was. Marines stood at the back of a covered truck.

"Arms," Jeff Aiello said.

Syxx positioned both arms out in front of him. A Marine placed a bundle of clothes into his open arms. This included a dark shade of green camouflage pants, tunic, black boots, and belts.

The vulpine wasted no time placing the clothing over his cold body. He was still soaking wet, but it was warm. He would have to find a way to dry them over the night, if he did ever get to relax or even sleep at all.

After a quick but deserving meal, everyone was forced to run another few kilometers to their barracks, but once again, they were standing outside in the rain with their clothes soaked. The barracks were older, all metallic silver-white, but they were large. A single building could accommodate over five hundred people at eight to a room, in the three story structure.

While they were standing there in the rain, a green army vehicle drove up. From that, the raccoon that Syxx had already recognized to be Ramirez hopped out, "I hope you all had a good run here. These will be your quarters for the months to come. I have arranged you in random order to be housed. A standard barrack can have eight people to a room, but we're giving you some space. We're making it two to a room and we would make it one, but we don't have that space right now. If you don't like who you're stuck with, that's just too bad."

Syxx grew annoyed with the man. He tightened his paws into fists and bared his teeth. His ears flattened against his head.

"At the top, room two-twenty, Randy and Dan. Two nineteen, Vince and Kendra…" Syxx waited for his name to be called and it came soon enough, "…Two ten, Syxx and Kyla. Two-oh-nine…."

Syxx rolled his eyes. He had no idea who this was, nor did he care. He would meet this person eventually.

Ramirez came to the end of the list, "Please yell if you didn't here your name called."

No one said a thing.

"Alright good. The Marines will be escorting you all to your chambers. I hope you all have a good night, and I will be seeing you all tomorrow," with that, the raccoon got back into the passenger side of the vehicle and rode off.

"Alright you heard him. Everyone get moving!"

Syxx figured that the Marines didn't trust them. All of them held a weapon in their paws. From what he had heard most of the people here were convicts, if not all of them. That's where he had come from too though. They all had a good reason not to trust them.

The vulpine walked with the others up the stairs to the top level. The insides of the building were silvery. The fox walked down the long hall until he saw the numbers "2-1-0" plastered on the top of a door.

Inside were eight beds and closets built into the walls, each having a digital lock on them. A single window looked out the room and over the rest of the base. Syxx stepped over to it, and stared at the lines of water streaming down glass, before closing the curtains over them.

Just then another person walked into the room. He recognized it to be the same fox that he had seen when he had been first placed out in the open field. She was wet and dirty, but that didn't matter, Syxx was too.

"Hi," she greeted Syxx

"So you're Kyla?"

She nodded wearily, "You're Syxx."

"Well done."

There was an awkward silence between the two foxes that was broken by one of the guards voices that echoed through the halls of the barracks, "Half an hour until lights out ladies! If you're going to take a shower, I'd suggest that you do it now! You can find them on either end of the barracks. If those are full feel free to use the ones down a level. Just keep in mind; we will be watching all of you. If anyone tries something funny, you will be shot on sight."

"I'm going to take a shower."

Syxx shook his head, "Don't let me stop you."

When Kyla had come back, Syxx went to wash himself. In this one bathroom were ten little showering stalls, and a large pile of towels. Syxx striped down from his uniform and cleaned himself.

The warm water was so soothing. He felt like he could go to sleep right then and there. For the military, there sure was a lack of privacy, and they had never put females in the same barracks, let alone the same rooms before. Syxx wondered what he had gotten himself into. This was defiantly something he had never seen before. Slayer was different.

The warm water burned as it washed over his left shoulder and the tattoo that had been engraved in him. He had to grit his teeth to ignore the pain. Besides that though, it was heaven and you didn't hear him complaining.

After washing himself, the vulpine tied a towel around his waste and walked back to his room with his wet clothes at paw. He stepped in and walked to the far end of the room and placed himself on the bed closest the window.

"I like your fur Syxx."

The fox rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I just knew you would."

"You know, you don't have to be so hostile."

"I'm sorry. I'm just going through _a lot_ right now."

"I know how you feel. We all do."

"You have no idea how I feel. I used to be some one."

"And I wasn't!? Look here pal! Have you taken a look at us!? We're all convicts! None of us had a life!"

"I guess that includes you?"

"Don't go there Syxx."

"We all have a story to tell Kyla. We're all here for a reason."

"Look! Just… calm down alright!? I was just complementing you!" she shook her head impatiently, "And what's up with the gold tooth?"

The black vulpine glared at the red vixen. He opened his mouth, and narrowed his eyebrows in a wicked smile. The fox ran his tongue over the gold canine tooth, "Like it?"

"It actually goes pretty good with the fur."

Kyla stared at Syxx for a moment longer. Before he gave an odd paw gesture, and grumbled, "Errhm," he held the towel up around his waist with one paw.

She turned her head away giving the vulpine privacy, "Oh sorry."

"Don't worry about it," the vulpine quickly slipped into his boxers and into one of the four bunk beds after doing the best he could to hang up his wet clothes. Just after he did the lights in the room turned off. Then all of them in the barracks did. And it was all silent.

"Syxx?"

"What?"

"What do you think is going to happen to us?"

"I don't know. Just go to sleep. I'm very tired."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted someone to talk to."

Syxx sighed. All the muscles in his body burnt. His headache had come back a little as well. The bed was the best reward he had gotten all day. He listened to the sound of his own breath and just before falling asleep, he heard whimpering.

"Hey Kyla," he whispered. The whining slowly faded. The vixen didn't say anything though, she just remained silent and waited to hear what the other vulpine had to say, "I'm… really sorry alight? I'm just a little confused right now."

"That's fine Syxx."

"I shouldn't have… I don't know."

"It's alright. I'm just… afraid."

"Me too Kyla."

The fox didn't know why he was cooperating. Maybe he truly wanted to be a Slayer. Anything would have done, to get him away from his old life, and this would be a place where no one would ever find him. He would be right under everyone's noses, and he would live his life.

"…_I'm sorry, you broke my heart…_"

"_Krystal…_" Syxx thought to himself.

He remembered seeing her. He remembered talking to her. It was when he managed to attend his own funeral. He was afraid of getting caught, especially by her. Her sixth sense would easily be able to pluck his mind out of a crowd. She knew his thought waves very well.

But she didn't. And when she cried, it made Syxx happy. She never saw what she had inside of him. Fox was left in pieces, and Krystal could never see it. That's why he died. Fox was weak. Syxx could still remember who he used to be, and he always would, but the angels that lived inside of him would soon go away.


	12. Six Six Syxx

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XII:**

**Six Six Syxx**

* * *

_I want to be a spiritual person,__  
I want to have a code of ethics,  
I want to have morals to live by,  
Fire to light the accord of my life.  
_

_Take a break from the endless,  
Monotony of the loveless,  
Today is gone and I'm moving on,  
I'm moving on,_

Time to leave it all behind start another life.  
Take a risk and follow blind searching for the light.  
Hide a whisper from the crowd,

_I'll find my own way out,"_

**DROPPING DAYLIGHT – **_**"Soliloquy"**_

* * *

Where was she? It was dark. Kursed's eyes dodged around in the darkness, it was like she was in the middle of a field. Winds blew across the plains, as the knee high grasses, flowed like water in the ocean.

The fox spun around in circles, trying to find something, to see someone, but she was all alone… as far as she knew.

Kursed took a few steps forward. She listened to the winds whistle across her ears, making them twitch, and blow her tail bushy, blue tail blow nearly parallel to the ground.

As she walked, she slowly turned her green eyes to stare at the stars in the sky. They were very familiar, like she had been here before, right on this planet. The single moon also gleamed; giving her soft, luxurious fur a glowing and radiant tone.

It was all so confusing. She couldn't remember anything. But the windy night was so beautiful, peaceful… and painfully romantic… she wished se had someone to share it with. She wished Fox was here.

She made her way to the top of a rolling hill, and gazed out over the horizon, where dozens of other rolling mounds covered in grass were flowing, and shining in the night.

Kursed only had one second for a smile to creep up one side of her mouth before a bright flash of light illuminated the fields. A loud crack of thunder echoed through the plains and made her hearing ring.

Clouds started to cover the shimmering, spotted black sky. The landscape around her grew darker, and her smile faded away. The winds blew clouds over the moon and remained to blow through the grasses.

Another bolt of lightning brightened the windy plains. She spun around. The sudden burst of light, revealed a shadow in the distance. It was a profile of someone… someone coming towards her.

And that was when the voices began. They sounded like they were being said right into her ear. There were all different and overlapping each other, as if each completed the others thought and sentence…

_"Ultimate killers..."_

_"…the finest in the galaxy. Each one is un…"_

_"…each one is unique. They don't have…"_

_"…They only have them..."_

_"We only have ourselves." _

_"I don't need your help. I don't need…"_

_"I don't need you."_

The vixen's heart began to race. The figure in the distance grew closer, but she could only see it when the lightning came. Besides from that it was invisible. The mysteries voices continued. She drooped her ears and tried to brush the voices away with her paw;

"_They are attracted to large energy sig…"_

_"Aparoids are attracted to large energy signatures."_

_"It was just the first..."_

_"They'll be back…they'll be back… they'll be back…"_

_"Corneria, Sauria… every place that has technology, every place…"_

_"…Every place that has life. Huhhhh… they'll be dead."_

_"All of them."_

A crack of light ripped through the sky. The profile was much closer this time. It was walking quickly toward her. The bright moon peeked through the clouds. She could see lightning make the clouds glow in the distance as it crackled, and rumbled all around her.

The peeking moonlight washed its beams upon the hill between her, and what she could now make out to be a man. His fur was dark, and he wore sleek and advanced armoring all over his body. In his right paw was a large weapon, what she made out to be an oversized pistol of some sort.

It was large enough to have the backward grip that all pistols had, and another forward grip directly below the muzzle; allowing the option for it to even be used as a short, stubby, submachine gun.

As the warrior stepped closer the blue vixen could hear a few loose straps and buckles jingle lightly against the steel plates. Her blood began running hot as her heart tried to keep up with her ever increasing fear. Kursed was afraid, but something kept her standing there.

"Who are you?" she asked in a shuddering voice.

He didn't say anything. He was less then ten meters from her and he kept walking until he was just over an arms length. He stood their, staring at her, eye to eye. He then lifted the weapon with one paw, to point it right at her head.

"Wait!" she yipped. She begged her muscles to run, but surely she would be gunned down if she tried to escape. There was no where to go, there was no where to hide, "What do you want from me?" she tried to calm herself, but still shuddered her voice.

The blue fox gasped as the receiver slid forward, making a chunky click.

She felt tears at her eyes, "Please…" she whimpered, "Don't do this."

Kursed stared down the barrel as the dark furred man remained silent. Her palms were sweaty. But, instead of firing, with one paw only, the man flipped the weapon around so that one of the two grips now faced her.

Without warning the wind died and the clouds flowed away, and once again the whole area was lightened by the moon.

The small vixen involuntary grabbed the butt of the weapon. It was a very large pistol, but it was extremely light, especially for its size. Most of the weapon was a cold silver, but dark trails of black blazed from the barrel of the weapon, and back toward the rear grip. As for the trigger, instead of room for a single finger only, there were grooves for two fingers.

Kursed look closer at the muzzle of the pistol. The barrel was built into the weapon, but below the muzzle, was a silver and black cylinder that stuck out farther from where the barrel ended, looking like it served no particular use.

Without even thinking, she, raised the gun to the man's head, and found that it was none other then Fox McCloud.

His face was emotionless. His eyes were as deep as she remembered them, and his red fur darkened, in the moonlight. But something was wrong. She couldn't control her own actions. The gun still pointed at his head.

Her paws wrapped around the pistol grip and a finger rested on the trigger. Kursed began to sob as her body disobeyed her. Another finger slipped the safety off. She couldn't help herself. She couldn't look away. She couldn't do anything.

The vixen, cried aloud as she felt her fingertip draw the trigger inward. The pistol bucked her paws and as the weapon's shot made a sound of metal, on metal, with a quick scrape. A strike of hot plasma originated from the barrel, and struck Fox in the forehead.

She watched in horror. The red vulpine's head thrashed back as the long almost lightning bolt shape of plasma struck. It was in slow motion from there. Airborne trails of blood flew backward as the fox's body did the opposite. His limp body, fell to its knees.

Kursed regained control of her actions and caught the fox's torso before it laid rest on the ground. She cried, as she took knee, and felt Fox's warm blood trickle down her paws. She hugged his body, and sobbed.

_**X**_

Kursed eyes fluttered open from her dream. The vixen wondered if the nightmares would ever end. At least this time she had woken up calmly, not with burning eyes and cold, sweaty paws.

The fox sighed and she looked at the black, metallic ceiling the hung above her small bed, "I get it. I killed you," Kursed said impatiently without a trace of sorrow

Well, it defiantly wasn't the most maintained of all ships. It wouldn't match up to a Lylatian battle cruiser, and surely, it was no Greatfox. But it was home… as much as she hated to admit it.

The Final Haste wasn't the warmest of all ships; much of it had been composed of pieces of damaged Lylatian frigates, battleships, and cruisers that had drifted out of the system in the wars that had happened.

The technology was out of date, and the weapons systems were more then obsolete compared to the current standards. But, the food was warm, and the beds were soft.

In the last few days, a small room onboard the ship had been designated as Kursed's new home. It was small as compared to the room that Fox had given her aboard his flagship. But it still beat the h-ll out of sleeping in her small Cloudrunner.

And her new occupation… a bounty hunter. That was how she earned her stay. She could earn credits on the side too. She hadn't yet gone_ hunting_ and she knew it would be very dangerous. But she didn't have much to live for anymore anyways. Kursed wondered what Fox would have to say if he knew about all this.

The vixen lifted her body from the bed, and stretched it out. The bones and muscles snapped back into their rightful place as she twisted her spine. Her sixth sense often coordinated with her dreams, and she had not found this one strange, as compared to others that she had been having the past couple of nights.

The part with Fox was no surprise, and neither was the location really. But the man in profile was questionable… unless it had been Fox. The voices made her suspicious of the time to come. Often, she did dream of the future and the past.

And the Aparoids… what did that mean? They were all gone. They couldn't come back… could they? She shook it off and forgot it, thinking more about the other things that the voices had said to her. The blue vixen sat back down on her bed.

The only possessions that she now owned were her Cloudrunner, her staff, and the small back box she now held which contained the remnants of her past life as Krystal; which included her ancient Cerinian jewelry, and wear. And some pictures that had once belonged to Fox. Most of which she had not yet looked at.

The little vixen sighed and unlocked the box. She stared into it, unwillingly, and placed a claw tip on one of the pictures that she had not yet seen. It was killing her, and it had been for the last few days. She just had to look. Kursed took a solid breath of air and pinched the corner of the picture, pulling it out.

This particular one was one of Fox. His jumpsuit coated his body while his silver vest loosely covered the rest of his athletic physique. It must have been during the Aparoid war, because in his paws was a Plasma Machinegun, while his face ushered a serious, yet always gentle look.

Kursed held it up to the light to get a better view. She looked at the detail of the photo and rolled back into her bed in regret. The plasmatic illuminants above her passed beams of light through the back of the card, and Kursed could now see a faint line of black text through the picture.

She spun it around and nearly grinned, "What's this?" It was another piece of Fox. She could recognize his neat, curved writing anywhere. It was a note of some kind.

She drew the card closer to her muzzle, attempting the read the text and wondering what it had meant. It was a phrase. Perhaps a poem? A story? A song? Or maybe just Fox thinking… it was impossible to tell without his mind around. She would never know.

She leapt up from her bed. What she had on the back of this picture was merely a phrase and was meaningless all alone. But, what it the others had some wording?

Kursed took a deep breath. Each of the pictures had written text on them. She placed and rearranged them on her bed until she thought they were in the correct order.

As her deep green eyes ran over the wording, she whispered what she read to herself;

"_Pieces of a war in the mind,  
__I could use a little break,  
__From all this makes me cry,_

_Don't know where to go,  
__Where to hide,  
__Maybe I could drive away,_

_They tell me keep on moving along,  
__Waste no time,  
__You've got to keep on moving along,  
_

_With arms made of steel,  
__How can you feel,  
__Life so surreal?_

_Just keep up,  
__Oh you keep up,  
__Oh you Armageddon Soul,  
__Armageddon Soul…"_

* * *

**X**

"_...Breath just let it go,  
__Armageddon Soul,"_

Syxx slouched back farther into his small bed. He had whispered the words so lightly that he himself could barely hear them. It was still his first night at Cornerian Military Base, and though his overwhelmingly heavy exhaustion had knocked him out for the past hours, he now lay in the small bunk nearly wide awake, just thinking.

Or, he was anyways. He heard the footsteps first, then the sight of two dancing lights that entered the room. They made their way to Kyla's beside. Syxx naturally, just pretended to be asleep. Then, he heard the sounds.

From Kyla's bed, one of the many closer to the door was a short, swift burst of air fallowed by an ear piercing yelp. Syxx's heart leaped and his blood ran hot, but before he could even react, he himself was pinned down in his bed, being flipped over onto his stomach.

His futile attempts to struggle might as well had gone unnoticed, "Aggghhh! Let me go!"

The next thing he felt was the fur on the back of his neck being brushed up uncomfortably, as a cool metal object being pressed into his skin. From that came a familiar short burst of air, and pain that he had never felt before. The black fox shouted through clenched teeth.

Just as quickly as it had happened, it was all over. He was released left with an ache so bad his limbs shuddered and tears burned at his eyes. His back arched uncomfortably. Syxx slowly reached one violently shaking paw to the back of his neck and ever so lightly touched what was there.

It was a plastic of some kind. But he refused to touch it anymore. It hurt too much. He groaned in misery and over his own he could the red vixen's whimpers. The fox lost consciousness.

_**X**_

Hours later, the black vulpine's eyes slid open. He lay on his chest. Forgetting what had happened, he spun his head around. Instantly, he regretted doing so, yelling through his clenched jaw, and grit teeth.

Eventually, he was able to roll himself out of his bed and used the frame to get his footing. Gently, he felt the tender area on the back of his neck. It was like plastic. Obviously, it had been put into his skin and was now a part of his body.

He wondered what it was, what it looked like. His curiosity got the best of him, as he made his way to Kyla's bed. Without asking permission, he brushed the fur on the back of her neck upward. He listened as she moaned in agony, and her paw grabbed the loose fabric of the bed, and she wrapped it into a fist.

She growled, "If you want to live… take a few steps back."

"Just relax for a sec. I'm gonna' find out what these things are."

"Just be careful."

"Don't worry."

As the vulpine looked into the vixen's smooth, red fur; he saw a small symbol of a familiar white nautical star. He had been told it was called the Black Blade Star. Below that were two numbers. The numbers "Three" and "Nine"

"What is it?" she asked.

"Does the number thirty-nine mean anything to you?" the vulpine slowly backed away.

The vixen spun her head around, looking at the larger fox for the first time that day, "No… and put some pants on you pervert."

Syxx shook his head and stumbled away. Once he made himself into the Marine training gear, he could hear other moans and groans all over the building; and the unmistakable thunderous voice of a Marine, "All'a you outside! NOW!"

Syxx and Kyla quickly scrambled into the rest of their training gear. Without waiting for the smaller vixen, the black vulpine bolted down the stairs and was the first one on the street in front of the barracks. He took a place, standing, as more to be warriors filed into a single long line.

With the help of the Marines around, they arranged themselves into three equal lengths of recruits. Moments later a silver wheeled, green army vehicle pulled up. The black vulpine rolled his eyes to himself as a raccoon stepped out.

"Good morning everyone," he said with a smile.

Syxx didn't both to turn his head as someone in the ranks spoke out, "Good morning! That's all you have to say!"

The Sergeant Major looked down at his holographic PDA, "Mister… Pyro."

"Yeah _buds_! That's me!"

Syxx watched out of a corner of his eye as Ramirez stepped around the ranks and up to the trouble maker, "I'd suggest you change your attitude if you are interested in surviving here."

"F-ck that dude! This is my attitude!" he said in a high pitched voice, "If you don't like it maybe you shouldn't have put yourself through that trouble to get me here, hey? So if you don't mind my asking," he paused mocking the Sergeant, making the last statement proper, "'_Sir_' what the h-ll did you just put into my neck?"

Ramirez stepped away from the trainee. Personally, if it was one of his own conventional recruits, an outburst like that would not have been tolerated. But these weren't regular recruits, these were Slayers. Each of them was unique, and instead of assimilating them into conformation, they needed to remain different from one another.

Cornerian Army Sergeant Ramirez paced back to the front of the ranks, "Last night… each of you were marked with a computer chip. On the back it has the Slayer's Black Blade Star and a number. The number relates to the order that you were drafted. They also allow us to track you. _Anywhere_ you go, we'll know about."

Syxx glanced as the raccoon marched to the far left of the first rank. Syxx was the far right of the first.

Ramirez placed a paw on each of the recruit's shoulders as he passed and stated their numbers, "Twelve, Royce. Seventy, Lisa. Ninety-eight, Mitch…"

Soon, he made his way down the back of the first rank, "…Thirty-nine, Kyla," Syxx squinted in pain as the trainer's paw came down lightly on his shoulder. A twinge that started at his neck flowed down his spine.

"Sixty-six…" Ramirez spun around the edge of the ranks to look at the black vulpine in the dark, lightweight camouflage training gear. He looked at the vulpine almost in fear, "…Syxx."

He heard Kyla whisper beside him, "Lucky you."

The fox also heard the same individual who had spoken out earlier; do so again, "Haha! Wooo! Yeah! The number of the beast!"

The raccoon and fox stared at each other, eye to eye, until Syxx broke the silence, "I guess I had better get going on that bad reputation," he opened his mouth just enough so that a sliver of gleaming gold shone in the sun. From that an evil-like grin crawled up his muzzle.


	13. And Life Goes On

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XIII:**

**And Life Goes On…**

* * *

_"Waiting on a Sunday afternoon,  
For what I read between the lines,  
Your lies,  
Feelin' like a hand in rusted shame,  
So do you laugh or does it cry?  
Reply?_

Leavin' on a southern train,  
Only yesterday you lied,  
Promises of what I seemed to be,  
Only watched the time go by,  
All of these things you said to me,"

**STONE TEMPLE PILOTS - _"Interstate Love Song"_**

* * *

_**X**_

_Five weeks later…_

* * *

"Control, this is Slayer Six Six Syxx," said a deep voice.

The black fox slowly drew back the bolt of the Plasma Beam Sniper Rifle. But besides that he remained completely still; hidden at the tree line of the grassy field. The grassy ground was cool, but it felt good. The temperature burned at twenty-eight degrees Celsius.

His watchful eye looked down the scope of the weapon, keeping the crosshair on his target. His range was far and surely he was out of sight. Even if it was they knew the direction to look, it would be nearly impossible to see him; as he looked out over the line of grass and into the fields slightly lower in elevation.

It was the first time since the program started that the Slayers had been trusted with weapons. Syxx was already well experienced with all the weapons that the military had to offer. Many had been aboard the Greatfox.

Slayer was truly an amazing program. Syxx had been beaten, and run down; both mentally and physically pushed to his limit. He could feel his new strength. His muscles were stronger and his athletic body had only improved from the endless torture. Syxx was stronger then before… and he knew it. There was more to come too.

The fox was faster, smarter and overall better that he had ever been. Even though the work was nearly flawless, he was constantly being chewed out by the Marine Major Sergeant that it _could have_ _been better_, and that_ there is much improvement that needs to be done._

A voice crackled through the small black radio in his left paw, "We read you Slayer. What is your status?"

He responded instantly, "Multiple light armored vehicles and APCs, moving south-south-east. Range, is seven hundred meters and closing. Estimated twenty armed personal. Orders?"

"Slayer, you are outnumbered. Recommend, aborting mission. Fall back to two-one."

"Control, I have a clear shot on the lead infantry commander."

"We read Slayer, but planet Katina heavies for slip space interception. Keep a low profile and our squads will ambush the enemy patrol when they draw nearer to the Katina Post. Do you copy Sixty-Six?"

"Negative Command, I him take him out."

"Sixty-Six, you do not, repeat, do not have clearance to take the shot. Keep a low profile!"

Syxx hesitated for a moment. None of these simulations ran smooth. They always had a catch of some kind.

The radio crackled again, "Slayer, do you read?"

"I read," Syxx replied, "Changing position now, once I take the lead commander down, I will fall back to position two-one."

"Slayer! You-" Syxx shut the radio off.

The black fox, covered in thick camouflaged and plasma vest, lifted his body from the ground. He moved around in the trees at a low crouch, silently, and swiftly. He found a place for the rifle to rest; on the branch of a tree; giving him a better and higher view of the moving enemy contacts.

He put his eye nearer to the round scope, placeing what he had recently been taught into action. He watched the APCs near his position. He drew his eye away from the scope, to get a sense of the range. That was when he noticed something…

He remained completely still. His eye looked at the scope, not through it, but at the reflection the glass made. It was hard to make out, in the reflection that the scope made, but there was something behind him… moving.

His heart started to beat faster. But he remained still, until he thought the object had come close enough. Without giving even the slightest hint, Syxx thrust the butt of the SR backward before even looking.

The synthetic and blunt end of the rifle rammed into the face of a Marine, knocking him to ground. Syxx swung the barrel of the SR around and fired into the attacker's chest.

Then, everything seemed to dissolve. The world blurred and fell from around him. His fur stood on end as everything blackened and disappeared. Before the fox knew it, he found himself standing in a large white room.

A door opened at one of the walls. The vulpine rolled his eyes as he recognized the husky in the black uniform with gold buttons soon confront him.

"Slayer. You were ordered to fall back. Your cover has been blown, and your position compromised. You fired upon friendly forces, and killed an ally. The mission was a failure."

Syxx smiled while tipping down a pair of sunglasses, and peeking over them, "So?"

"You're lucky it was a simulation though, a mistake that bad could have very well cost you your life. Now get back to the class. Sergeant Major Ramirez will debrief you along with the rest of the Slayers."

Syxx shrugged and did what the husky said. He stepped out of the white room, and paced down the halls of the Cornerian Military Complex. Soon he found himself at the door of the class, and without knocking, he let himself in the clear glass doors.

He took a seat at an empty table at the back of the room. A few others returned from their simulation. Syxx locked his eyes onto a raccoon that took a seat beside him at the white table.

"Wooo! That was quite somthin' eh!?"

Syxx turned his head to the raccoon in the Marine training uniform. He pulled the sunglasses from their place, resting on his head, and clipped them into a top pocket over his chest, "I guess so."

The raccoon put his feet up on the table and balanced the chair on its two back legs. He put out his right paw, toward Syxx, "I'm Pryo. Fifty-two."

The vulpine stared at him a moment, before Syxx extended his own paw to meet the one of the raccoon's, "Syxx."

"Yeah, that's right! You're Lucifer!"

"Just Syxx. The numbers don't mean anything."

"That's quiet the name there. Where'd that come from?"

"_Syxx_?" the black fox huffed. He never wanted to tell the story of how his name originated…

_"…I'm sorry, you broke my heart."_

_"I'm sorry, you broke my heart…"_

The fox listen to the _six_ words echo, irritated with himself and with Krystal, "_Quit it, Krystal,_" he thought to himself. Soon Syxx was lost in his own little world once again. It was already quite a while ago, but it felt like just yesterday was goodbye. All the promises were turned to lies, thats all they were now, lies. Everything she said, and everything he said... Starfox... He wondered is she was laughing... or crying... yet still, he didn't care. And life still went on.

Before he knew it there was a paw in front of his head, snapping its fingers. The voice of the raccoon still felt far off, "Hey, you alright?"

He quickly shook it off, "Fine. What about _Pyro_?"

"Ahhww, Pyro si's easy. I like to play with fire. When I was little, I would try to make homemade bombs. Pyro, you know… _Pyro_technic? The-"

Syxx cut him short, "I get it Pyro."

Their conversation was cut short by the Cornerian Army Sergeant that walked through the glass doors, "Did everyone have a good time in the simulators?"

Syxx snorted to himself in disgust.

The Sergeant made his way to the front of the room, "For many of you, that is your first time in the combative simulator. There is no way you would be put into such a situation as you were with such little intelligence. But that was an important test to see how each one of you would act in such a high stress situation… and how stubborn some of you are."

"What's today's lesson?" asked one of the recruits.

"Over the past five weeks here you have learned to communicate properly, and handle weapons," he gestured a paw to his left as two Marines rolled a humongous silver box in through the doors, "Today we'll be firing some."

It looked like they put their whole weight into the long box, to pull it in. Once it was at the front of the class, they opened two large doors, swinging them outward from each other. The inside was coated with rifles.

The instructor explained, "I would like each of you to grab one of these standard SRM2s. With that, get yourself two plasma batteries. Today, we are learning to shoot the sniper rifle. This is one of the harder weapons to fire, which means that everything after this, will be easy."

Everyone did as they were told. Each one snatched a rifle and two batteries. They were all then led outside of the complex to the outdoor range.

Syxx glanced at the sunny hill in the distance. It was at least three hundred meters away. The sandy hillside was spotted in white targets each profiled like the outline of a soldier. And there were even smaller black marks that coated the sand from stray plasma rounds.

Syxx turned back to his task at hand. The Marine Sergeant, in his black uniform approached the Slayers, and lined them up one by one down the long range.

The husky began to instruct, "What you hold in your paws now, is the standard issue Mark II Plasma Beam Sniper Rifle. It is a very versatile weapon, and can be used in many combative scenarios. But, at close range, this weapon could be the death of you. It is mainly used in the Marine Corps as a scout type rifle and is also used as a surveillance type weapon. The Police also use it in their urban conflicts."

The deep voiced dog paused. And wielded his own weapon. The exact same as what all the others had, "You all know how to operate this weapon, and today you will get a chance to fire it," he held up a plasma battery, "Each one of these plasma magazines has enough power fire the weapon ten times. When that is done, you will need to reload. You all know how to do that. I would like everyone now to take a place in a sitting position. Cross legged to start with."

Syxx sat down on the grass, before aligning his body downrange. He held the weapon with great care and responsibly keeping the barrel pointed at the ground. He already knew what to do, but he waited for farther instruction.

Jeff Aiello soon instructed the firing line farther, "Because this is a plasmatic shot, you do not need to calculate for windage or range. Just point and shoot. It will go right where you put it. At your own discretion, you may load and open fire on the targets. The range in three hundred meters, which is a short range shot. And remember, the scope is there for a reason!"

The black fox smirked, and loaded a battery into the weapon. He then pointed it down range. He slowly adjusted the zoom, and the scope corrected the contrast and focused itself. Before he was able to pull the trigger in, he heard the silent firing sound of the recruit's weapon beside him.

He moved the scope, slightly to the right, to see a trio of the profiled white targets fall one by one at the end of a yellow plasma tracer. The fox moved his eye away from the weapon and turned his head to the right to see the curvaceous vixen, Kyla.

He smiled at her, "Nice shooting. Where did you learn that?"

In return, she grinned back at him, "Well, a girl has to know how to survive," she flicked away, her short brown hair turned with her head, and she replaced her eye to the weapon.

Syxx hated to admit it, but the smaller fox was much better then he could ever hope to be already. He steadied his eye back into his scope, and placed it on the target. He pulled back the bolt, to polarize the plasma round, then slipped it forward. He placed a finger on the trigger. Before he could pull it in though, the target he was aiming at dropped at the end of a long, yellowish plasma tracer.

He lifted from the scope again, looking at Kyla. She smiled and wagged her tail happily, but didn't take her eye out of the scope, "To fast for you Syxx?"

"Never," the fox lifted the sniper to his shoulder again and fired three times. All the plasma rounds hit, but it took the black fox a little longer to get a sure lock on the targets.

By that time the vixen had changed the clip, pulled back the bolt to polarize the plasma, and knocked down two more targets.

The truth was, that Syxx was good, but the red fox that shot beside him had clearly received some other kind of training. Even a natural wouldn't have been so skilled, so quickly. He wondered if she had been in the military before, or had learned it from somewhere else.

Once the two plasma magazines had been spent, by all the Slayers, Jeff Aiello instructed, "For many of you, that wasn't too bad for your first time. You will now be supplied with ten more batteries. That gives you a hundred shots to get a feel for the weapon."

Marines walked around and dropped a silver box down beside each one of the Slayers. Many tried different shooting positions, to hit the targets. By the end of the afternoon, Syxx had worked his way through over twenty plasma batteries. It had been quite a while since he had used this rifle, but he soon got the feeling back.

He had gotten his sharp eye back, but still his shot was no match for that of Kyla's. She had a quick draw, and a smooth pull of the trigger. That made her shot flawless and straight.

After everyone had more time to fire the rifle, the husky stopped them, "Well done! Now, all of you will be supplied with one more mag. Everyone stand up, and slowly advance on the targets. While on your advance, spend the ten rounds on the targets without changing motion. That's right! I want you to hit those targets while on the move."

Syxx narrowed his eyes, looking at the targets down the range, "What? We-we can't do that!"

"It's time to learn. This is a close, and easy shot," he smiled, "Everyone off the ground, use your peripheral vision, and don't get too far ahead, nor fall too far behind. Slayers, by the right, forward, march! Fire at will!"

Syxx brought the stalk into his shoulder. The white targets on the side of the sand hill were nearly impossible to get a lock onto. His aimer swung onto and off the target and most of the time, he lost the sight of the profile altogether.

He had to pan out to keep the targets even remotely in the scope, while still making sure; he was walking a straight line. If he were to fall too far behind, he could shoot someone, and if he drifted too far ahead, he was in danger of getting shot.

The black fox attempted the steady his upper body. As the reticule of the weapon waved upward, he fired. The yellow tracer of plasma burned the atmosphere, and passed over the target by about two meters.

Syxx took another three shots, each one getting farther, and farther away from its target. He kept the pace up, going forward at a constant rate. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kyla shoot.

The plasma round nicked the shoulder of the white profile. He listened to her swear as the shot neglected to knock the profile to the ground. But at least she could hit it. Syxx's shots were in the right area, but he failed to hit them. He even saw many shots stray over the hill and into Corneria's sky.

By then, Syxx had given up one the scope. To him, it was no help. After lifting his eye, he realized how far the targets, really were. They were nothing but white dots, on a pale hill. He tried to line the shot up with the side of the weapon, simply guessing. After expelling the last round, he dropped the muzzle of the weapon, to carry it over his chest.

Still walking forward, he waited for the rest of the recruits to finish off. The silent slicing of the rifles came from either side of him, until they stopped all together. The fox could see it coming, they we're all about to get chewed up by the Marine Sergeant Major.

"That was disgusting!! By the end of your scout sniper rifle training you should be able to hit targets on the move at over three hundred meters!! You are currently, standing two hundred and twenty meters from the targets!!

Syxx got frustrated, "Let's see you do it then."

The Marine looked down the end of the long rank, "Who said that!?"

Even though the dog was bigger, Syxx didn't fear him, "I did."

Jeff Aiello picked him out, "Ahhh, Mister Syxx," he stood up looking down at the vulpine, "What was it that you were saying?" he tried to intimidate the smaller man.

The fox handed him the rifle, "I said; let's see you do it," and then, he smiled.

The dog bared his fangs, "I doubt, you want to question the skills of an officer."

Syxx laughed out of his throat, and pulled the rifle back to his chest, "Nah, I didn't think you could."

Aiello walked away from the vulpine, grabbing a huge rucksack. He told the vulpine to spin around. Syxx did as he was instructed. Then, the heavy pack was dropped onto his shoulders. He bent at the knees to suspend the load on his back. Then he slowly turned around.

"Get running," the husky said extremely low, and seriously, "Two laps of the base."

Syxx bared his fangs in return, letting the gold canine shine, "But, this thing is huge," he felt the sack strain at his back, "It must weigh a ton!"

From down the row, Syxx heard familiar voice speak out, "Hey Serg! Take it easy on the kid! I'd like to see you make that shot too!"

"You," the husky pointed, "I think Sixty-six needs some company. You'll be joining him."

The voice laughed, "Yeah right! F-ck that! I didn't do nothing!"

But without saying another thing; a pack was lowered down on the man shoulders, and he complained, "F-ck! I didn't even do anything! Agghhhh! This thing is heavy!"

The Marine had a quick answer to that, "You brought this on yourself,"

And it was true. Usually for an outburst or such disrespect as that, the whole team would have to run. It showed the trainees how they paid for each other's mistakes. It taught them how to operate as a team. Slayers didn't have to worry about that. They were responsible for their own actions.

The rest, had nothing to do with that. Plus, the pack that he had given the Slayers, was a good fifteen pounds heavier then even the most experienced of Marines ran with. These troops needed to be faster, stronger, and better.

In the months to come, all the Slayers would easily be able to take down multiple infantrymen and Marines with ease. When the Slayers finish their training, they won't care of they have weapons, or not. Because they have themselves, and that was just as good.

Syxx watched as the man that had come to stand beside him was the same one that he had met in the class, hours earlier.

Pyro smiled at the black fox and sounded happy, "How's it goin' son?"

The Marine hurried them along, "Move ladies! Three laps Pyro. Two for Syxx."

Before Pryo began to run, he slugged his now heavy body around to see the Sergeant Major, "Com'on! You said-"

"I know what I said."

The grey raccoon spun around again and mumbled to himself, "Hard a-s."

Aiello snapped, "I heard that!"

Pyro and Syxx slowly began to pick up speed as the packs weighed them down.

Unbeknownst to the vulpine, he was changing. Syxx himself couldn't see it. If he would have taken the time to think about it, he never would have insulted an officer like that. But he never did think back to that, so, he couldn't see himself change.

Syxx grinned at the questionable mind and attitude of the man that he had just met, "You just don't know when you shut your chops, do you?" the vulpine laughed.

As they ran, the raccoon slowly turned his head, and smiled wickedly, "Yeah, ya' know," he chuckled and panted before going on, "It's my curse."


	14. Hook Echo

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XIV:**

**Hook Echo**

* * *

"_Rise!__  
Open your eyes,  
And now you see the truth,__  
Open your eyes,  
And see the path that lies in front of you,  
_

_Fear not death,  
Fear no one to the end,  
Now you come to take your place,  
_

_Get up, Get up, Get up,  
_

_And all the pain deny, Stronger,  
And in defeat we will not even feel the ground__,  
By belief be at peace in the sand,  
So we say:_

_Stained forever and never be the same,  
__Make them remember: We will rise again,  
Rise Again,"_

**DESTROPHY – **_**"Rise Again"**_

* * *

Syxx lulled his body onto the couch. It was dark outside, and he felt beaten as usual. Each and every muscle in his back and legs burned with a warm sensation, but it was just going to make him stronger in the end. Just relaxing them was heaven enough. The pack that had been festooned to his back was heavy enough just standing statically, but running two laps of the massive base with that thing on, had been its own hell.

The man which he had been running with Pyro; still had another lap to do and it was dark already. At least now, the Slayers had a common room, at the base of their barracks, which was designated as a recreation room of some kind. Plus, he had gotten to know Pyro pretty well.

The raccoon was mouthy. He didn't really care what others thought of him, and it seamed that he preferred to draw attention to himself. He had a strong sense of humor though. His attitude was unique, and had been a _little_ similar to Falco's, but Pyro was defiantly in a league of his own.

The vulpine let out a deep sigh, as he placed his black boots onto the silver table. He heard someone laugh at him and he sluggishly turned his eyes then head, to see Kyla on a chair, reading a magazine.

"You learn anything?" she teased him.

"Yeah," he simply answered, "I did," he stroked the streak of white fur on his head back. Usually, he kept it neatly trimmed, but had grown it out a little more so, so now the white streak blazed backwards a touch more.

Syxx turned his head toward the widescreen television before he groaned from the back of his throat, "TV, on."

The large, black screen flickered once, and then the picture slowly faded in. Syxx didn't like to watch a lot of TV. He would rather be at the gym or the firing range, and only watched TV every once and a while. He did it just to see what was going on in Corneria, and the rest of the system.

The vulpine fluttered his eyes as he tried to stay awake. Then, something shot them wide open. A younger red vulpine, stood at the front of a podium on the TV. Lights from the flash of cameras washed over him, as he spoke into the microphones that had been positioned in front of his muzzle:

"Over the past six and a half weeks, our finest investigators have been looking into Captain Fox McCloud's death. The past two days of trials have brought us to a clear answer…"

Syxx's heart started to beat faster. He rubbed his fingers anxiously, knowing he had thought through every single aspect of the plan, knowing that no one could possibly know… unless they somehow found out and he did miss something.

The young fox on the TV continued, "…Today at the Cornerian Military Complex, a trial was held, and this trial confirmed that the G-Diffuser system aboard the SFX Arwing Mark II was not to blame. As well as this, it was then thought due to pilot error. We knew that this could not be true due to the black box records recorded at the Flight Control Center. Now, for the first time ever, we are releasing the information, that Krystal, ex-Starfox member was found at the sight of the Greatfox II, days after the fox's death. It is confirmed that she rummaged and stole from the Greatfox, and destroyed evidence. We are now accounting ex-Starfox team member Krystal responsible, for one account breaking and entering, destroying crime scene evidence, one account of attempted murder against a Cornerian Space Naval Corps Officer, one account of fist degree murder against a different CSNC Officer, tampering with the SFX Arwing II, and… first degree murder for the death, of Captain Fox McCloud."

The screen then switched back to a pink feline in the broadcasting room, "Krystal had attended Fox McCloud's private funeral. A short ways into the ceremony, she was removed after disturbance and disrespect toward team Starfox. All Cornerian Military Forces including the Army, Space Fighter, Marine, Space Naval Corps, and Urban Combat Affairs have been issued warrants to take Krystal alive, but her location is unknown."

Syxx took a deep sigh of relief. He was in the home free now. No one would ever find him, the case was solved, and Fox was officially dead, he could see the new path in front of him. From his sigh, he fell into a laugh.

The other fox in the room peeked up over the magazine, "What's so funny?"

The vulpine stopped his laughed as a huge smile wiped over his face. He glided his tongue across the solid gold canine fang, and then turned his eyes to the cute vixen, "Its funny isn't it?"

She set her blue eyes to the TV, just to catch the last part of the broadcast, "What? That?"

"Yeah, the one he trusted most. The one that Fox loved betrayed him. She killed him," he chuckled again.

She narrowed one eyebrow, "You didn't like Fox McCloud did you?"

"I hated him. So much. What was to like about Fox?"

"Well," she paused, throwing down the magazine, and picking up a new one, "He did save all of us, a few times. He was a hero. And, he was a good leader. Not to mention… well… he was kinda cute," she peered over the top of the magazine, "You know Syxx if I didn't know better… I'd take you, replace the black with red fur, loose the tooth, and fill that clip taken out of your ear. I think you would look exactly like him."

The vulpine grinned and placed a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, "Yup, that's what they all say."

"You two weren't brothers were you?"

The black vulpine huffed, "Please-"

She smiled at him then got back to her reading. The black fox slowly lowered his back into the grove of the chair, letting all his soar muscles relax further. Syxx snorted a quick laugh. He began to wonder if Krystal really did care, she had come to his funeral; she had even gone to the Greatfox after his _death._

The fox thought to himself. "_Maybe you care now but I don't. I hope to never see or hear of you again._"

The vulpine then lifted himself from the sofa, "I'm beat," he headed for the door, "I'll see you tomorrow."

The vixen crossed her legs, "I'll be in, in not too long."

The black fox closed his eyes, and stepped out the door, before spinning his head around, "And, Kyla."

"Yeah?"

He looked at her blue eyes, "That was some pretty fancy shooting today. Where did you really learn that? Cause I thought I was good."

She smiled in turn and wagged her bushy tail back and forth, "Like you said we are all here for a reason. And like I said, a girl has to know how to survive."

Syxx lowered an eyebrow, raised the other, opened his mouth slightly and shook his head. But, he left it at that. She had left it very vague, but that didn't matter. He wouldn't have told his story either.

The fox didn't even bother to undress; he just flopped down on the bed, and buried his muzzle into the soft pillow with four words escaping from his mouth in a whisper, "I will rise again."

He instantly fell into a deep sleep, with nothing on his muzzle, but a wide and triumphant smile.

An hour later, Kyla strolled into the room. She thought it odd when the lights were still on. She scanned her sharp blue eyes around the room, and noticed the black fox covered in dark green camouflage, and black boots still strapped to his feet.

"Syxx?" she whispered. No response. She tried again, louder, "Syxx? Are you awake?"

The vixen grinned. The Slayers had no _bed time_. That was different from any other program. As far as the staff cared, they could stay up all night, as long as they were ready to roll at the break of day. Slayers were always the first ones awake on the base, and often the last ones to sleep.

The shapely red vixen swayed her hips as she walked silently over to the bed of the black vulpine. Kyla placed her paw on the white blanket of one of the other empty beds, and draped it over the dark warrior.

The vixen brushed the fur along his chin back to his cheek. She lowered her muzzle to give him a short, but sweet, kiss on the forehead, "Good night Syxx."

_**X**_

A small ray of sun burned through the window and landed on Syxx's face. He felt the black fur, around his pale muzzle absorb all the heat, and was immediately wide awake.

Syxx rolled out of his bed, his back was stiff, but to him it was just another morning. Over the past month or so at the base, he had learned to wake up as soon as the sun breached the horizon, but it was something he did anyways.

Kyla wasn't far behind, without any words said, alarms ringing or instructions given, the Slayers made their way outside, the base. Today was the first of January. A nearly mandatory day off, if you were not on active duty, everyone was sent home to be with their families. Everyone had a day off, unless you were a Slayer that was…

All one hundred of the recruits stood there, waiting for the green and silver army vehicle to show up. And as it had every morning, it soon did. The morning was chilly, but this was as cold as it got, as Corneria was so close to the equator.

The army jeep soon drove up; Ramirez swung himself out of the passenger side, by grabbing the roll bar, "Good morning Slayers."

His only response was a few impatient replies. All the recruits were ready to go, to learn and to be pushed. They all wanted a new challenge.

Syxx yawned, "What's the plan for today Serg?"

He only got a slim smile back, "Today is the first of January. So, happy new years! Almost everyone on the base has been sent home today for a rest."

"Unless you're a Slayer," one of the girls said. A few of them laughed.

"Well, we can't send any of you home; I do have another surprise for you." He placed himself on the open tailgate of the small silver tired army jeep. The vehicle began to take forward motion, "Alright Slayers! Get a move on!"

The vehicle spun its tires as it then took off down the street. The recruits could do nothing but follow. As always, in the morning, they all ran before they ate. Then, it was either classes, training or, on bad days more running and working.

It was a short kilometer run to the air strip and then another kilometer to one of the dark hangers at the end of the runway. As the jeep entered, the driver shut off his lights, and drove blindly into the dark.

The Slayers all slowed down, as they lost sight of the vehicle and began to walk. Then the doors behind the hundred Slayers slid shut, leaving them in total blackness.

Syxx rolled his eyes, and mumbled, "Ohhhh, cr-p. Here we go…" he tensed the muscles in his abdomen, expecting something to strike him, to hit him. Something bad was going to happen. It was another stupid test. Probably would be similar to the one that had taken a chip out of his left ear, two weeks ago.

From the pitched darkness, a corner of the room lit up, and a spot light shone on a single person. The raccoon in green infantry wear spun his finger in the air above his head, "Alright Slayers, on me."

They all jogged over, but every single one of them expected something else to happen. They had all been caught off guard before, and had learned to expect it, and be ready to fight back.

"Come on," Paul reassured them, "No fooling, gather round."

The only light that was on was the one centered over Ramirez. He couldn't see any of the Slayers, but waited for their nearly silent footsteps to near. Soon, all gathered around him. It was time to unveil their present.

The raccoon at the center of the small spotlight started to pace around, "Ever since the technology had allowed Cornerian kind to take wing, we have been striving to push it as far as we could go. In the Lylatian conflict, Starfox rode out the first mission with the SFX Arwing."

"The Arwing had its limitations, but was far advanced for its time." a voice came from the darkness. Loud footsteps echoed around the darkened hanger. A German Sheppard in a blue avionics uniform soon made his way into the light.

Ramirez looked over his shoulder. "Slayers, you all know your Chief of the Fighter Forces."

The hound went on. "As Ramirez was saying, the SFX Arwing was a great advancement and would be nothing less then a match for the standard space fighter craft. Later, SFX designed the Arwing Mark II. The same one that McCloud rode out to his death. Sergeant Ramirez, lights if you will please."

The raccoon disappeared from the spotlight for a moment then all the lights illuminated. Behind the dog was a large silver aircraft. It had two wings, and looked fairly bulky.

The dog spun around and moved the Slayers in. "This is the SFX F02 Renegade. Single Plasma Blaster firing chamber and single Plasma Missile pod. In the hands of a skilled pilot, this is a real killer."

Syxx nodded, rolled up his sleeves and crossed his black furred arms together. "This is nothing but standard to the Fighter Forces. The Renegade is nothing special… Sir."

The dog frowned. "How'd you learn about this?"

The fox revealed the golden fang. "I have a history."

"Right… Anyways, Syxx is correct. This is standard issue. The cost of one of these is about ten million credits. The armor it tough, and the weapons are strong, but it's slow compared to some of the other crafts."

Syxx grew impatient, "So what? Is this all we get?"

"Calm down Sixty Six. Everyone, follow me into the next hanger."

Everyone did so, and stepped into yet another dark hanger, the hound and raccoon disappeared. A voice came from the darkness. "The Space Fighter Xtension has been really busy recently. The Arwing II was the most dependable and most advanced fighter known to the Lylat System. Each costs in at a hefty twenty-two million credits. They were premiered by Starfox, because they were the only ones who could afford it."

All the lights in the silver lined hanger came to life. Near the center of the hanger was a slim and beautiful fighter. Silver trimmed its four glistening wings while the fuselage gleamed black. A mirror-like surface covered the canopy, leaving the insides invisible. A star was pasted on the flare of one of the wings.

From the vulpine's jaw dropped mouth a smile crept up his face until a massive grin consumed it. His eyes widened. He knew he had seen this ship before. It was the exact same one.

Kyla stepped passed him without stopping. "Wanna put that tongue back in your mouth?"

Syxx glanced at her as she walked past, she gave him a smile. His eyes turned back to the beautiful fighter. He should have known from the second he saw the Black Blade Star. This was for the Slayers. This was for him.

The two military friends Paul and Jim stood side by side grinning, while having both of their arms crossed. The German Sheppard laughed. "This… is the _SFX F1 Hook Echo_."

Syxx couldn't help himself; he slowly walked up to the craft and touched its wing, "This - this thing is amazing."

The dog spoke in pride. "This is a Slayer exclusive. The Hook Echo is a result of Corneria's finest technology. A single Hook Echo weighs in at about fifty million credits. This ship is the finest technological break through known to the Cornerian Military. It is fast, it is strong, and it is dangerous. Dual Plasma Blaster chambers and dual chamber Plasma Missile pods matches it to the Arwing. The shields are twice as powerful as the Arwing II's and it is twice as efficient on the cold matter, while now is the fastest and the most agile fighter in the entire Lylat System. The only ship that could match the Arwing before was the mysterious Wolfen fighter. The Hook Echo can easily double the Wolfen's speed and out maneuver it without a question. In tests, it has even been designed to outrun missiles, in the correct circumstances."

Syxx drug a claw down the silver wing. "So it's fast huh? Faster then a Wolfen even?"

Jim Felon turned both his eyes toward Syxx before sticking his muzzle in the air. "This is the fastest fighter ever made."

The black fox grinned. "Has it ever been tested in combat?"

The hound by now was getting sick of this recruits attitude. "Look!" he tossed a set of keys through the air.

Syxx caught the keys with one paw. "Are you serious?"

The dog grinned at him, as if in triumph. "Put up, or shut up." he anticipated Syxx turning down.

Syxx looked at the ship, then the hound, then the keys in his paw. His eyes then drifted to the one way glass canopy of the silver and black spaceship. "Alright," he shrugged, "Let's do it."

Jim's smile faded. "What? You can't-"

Syxx jumped onto the wing of the aircraft. "No, were doing it. Open up the hanger. Put missile locks on me for all I care. Just let me take it for a rip. I'll bring it back in one piece."

"I'm not letting you leave."

Syxx snapped back. "Hey! Everyone else gets to go home to their families for a nice New Years dinner! _ I_ get to run all day! Besides, it is not like there is anyone else flying around up there today. Open these doors for me!"

"Slayer! You are not-"

The black fox interrupted once again. "I'll tell you what," he jumped off the wing. "How long have you been a part of the Air and Space Force?"

The larger canine snarled, "Longer then you!"

The fox stepped right up to him and looked up slightly, "How about a dog fight? I win? You let me take the Hook Echo for a burn."

The dog stepped back, "You're joking."

Paul put a paw on the black vulpine's shoulder. "Syxx, I know you think that you are better then everyone else. Just let it go. You shouldn't be challenging instructors. He would beat you."

The vulpine tossed the keys back to the glaring dog. "Nah, I just think he's a chicken." the vulpine spat on the floor of the hanger.

A hum of whispers went out among the Slayer recruits after a long "Wooouuuu"

"What?" the Air Force sergeant rumbled. "If we dog fight in the F1s, then that would defeat the point of letting you take it later."

The fox turned around with an evil grin, "Get your tail into that ship. I'll take an Arwing. The first one to get a missile lock on the other wins. If I win, I wanna take that Hook Echo for a ride," the vulpine's grin faded into a serious look. He raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, while murmuring sinisterly, "Unless you're afraid?"

The hound crossed his arms, thinking, "And what if I win?"

The gold toothed fox came closer once again looking the Sergeant Major square in the eye; he narrowed them to make himself look mean. He licked the tooth and growled, "You won't."


	15. Respect

Author's Note:  
Anonymous reviews now enabled.

* * *

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XV:**

**Respect**

* * *

"_If I could turn back this time,  
You would see what's inside,  
Your eyes to me are like a mirror,  
It swirls inside of my mind,  
There's just so much on the line,  
Is honesty always the answer now?_

_I'm on the ledge,  
Can't fall down,  
See me on the edge,  
I'm on the ledge,  
Breaking down,  
See me on the edge,"_

**LOWBUZ – **_**"On the Ledge"**_

* * *

Syxx grinned, as he used two fingers to shoot a sloppy solute out the canopy of the Arwing II. He pressed on the boosters, and the ship slowly spread its wings and took off vertically, leaving a cloud of raging dust on the tarmac below. The nose of the ship slowly angled upwards, and he sluggishly turned it toward the sky.

Syxx felt perfectly at home in the blue fighter, and flew a few tight circles around the base to regain the feel for the controls. It wasn't tuned the way he preferred but it would still be more then enough for a smooth victory. He turned his head toward a near by empty field, looking out the side of the window. He could see the Slayers spread out around the field, all eager to watch the show.

The fox couldn't help but to show off a little. Syxx straightened the Arwing out, and pointed toward the Slayers. He hit the boosters and angled the Arwing downwards making a low pass over the warriors, knowing that he sent a strong gust of wind and debris over them.

He got a voice on the communication system. A hologram of a raccoon showed up, Ramirez. "Careful Syxx, you're lucky we're letting you fly at all, so don't push it."

He smiled to himself, while knowing a hologram of he was being transmitted to the ground too. "So where's my competition?"

"Sergeant Felon is just about to launch the Hook Echo F1. Final preparations are being made." He paused for a long while. "Are you sure you know what you're doing Slayer?"

From the left field view of the Awing, Syxx saw a slash of sliver and black trim the sky, leaving a bright white streamer of plasma behind it. The Hook Echo shot perfectly vertically into the air before straightening itself out.

Syxx's smile faded, as his jaw dropped slightly. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

The fox banked the Arwing toward the white streamer. He saw the ship follow beside him, now finally realizing how fast it was. The fighter crafts flew side by side. Syxx and Jim glanced out their canopies, looking at each other. Of course, Jim could see Syxx, but the vulpine couldn't see the hound behind the silvery one-way windows of the graceful Hook Echo.

Jim bared his teeth. "How do you want to start this?"

Before Syxx could say anything, a voice cut in. "The dog fight will begin, when the countdown reaches zero. When zero hits, Syxx, bank left, while Sergeant Felon banks right. The fight will then begin. The first to get a clean lock on the other is the victor." Ramirez said.

Syxx's smile came back. "When ever you're ready."

"Let's do this."

Jim leaned back into his seat. He knew that this Slayer was nothing more then talk. The Arwing was fast, and agile, but it was no match for the Hook Echo. The new technology and his superior experience were completely unfair to the Slayer. It would be over before it began.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into." The German Sheppard growled.

Syxx remained silent and waited for the Army Sergeant to give the countdown. "All right. The dog fight begins, in five… four… three… two… one… go!"

Jim pulled hard to the right. The ship spun around. He slammed the boosters on, and felt the engine hum a little louder then begin a silent whistle as the ship pulled him back farther into his seat.

His eyes looked for his target. It was going to be _so_ easy. This would be over before it even began. Or so he thought. After a long thirty seconds of flying around, searching an alarm went off on the control consol. Someone was starting to target him.

His heart raced. He pressed the thrusters even harder. He pulled up on the control sticks and spun the Hook Echo around in the air, performing a well executed U-turn. While in the turn, he noticed a blue and white fighter passing the way he had just been flying.

From the ground, the show was even better. Kyla grit her teeth and closed her eyes as blades of grass and dust burned into her fur, as a blue and white ship made a low pass over her. A moment later a silver and black ship joined the blue and white one. They then turned off from each other as both accelerated madly.

Kyla looked up in awe as a blue streamer of plasma followed quickly behind a white one. Then, the white one turning back over the blue one, as the blue one turned off to reneged itself into the fight.

Syxx growled, and tightly banked the ship. He was so close. But he would have to make another run in, to try again. He kept a close eye on the radar and the skies around him. He was a skilled pilot, but he knew never to underestimate his enemy. Though the Sergeant was probably less skilled then he, the Hook Echo might handicap that enough for the pilot to win.

In the turn, the fox lost site of the ship. He peeked at his radar, and noticed a blip closing in behind him. An alert went off, signaling a missile locking onto him. The vulpine smiled out from the corner of his mouth. He took a deep breath, locked his paws securely onto the dual control sticks placed on either side of him, and pulled them back.

The Arwing II reacted immediately. The blue and white ship shot straight into the air, and the alert went away. He kept an eye on the radar, until the ship disappeared off of it altogether. He rolled the vertically flying ship and straightened it out, before diving it back down toward the ground, making a huge loop in the sky.

Air Force Sergeant Jim Felon rolled the Hook Echo away as the Arwing in front of him shot perfectly vertically. His heart started to race faster. He began to fear something he had never known at the controls of a fighter. The Sergeant began to fear defeat. But how could that be possible? He was experienced, and the Hook Echo was the most advanced fighter ever developed. He couldn't lose.

The German Sheppard shook it off and began to look for his target once again. He would not be defeated. Not by Syxx, and not by the comparably inferior Arwing. He wasn't done yet.

Or was he? Once again, a blip came up on his radar. He tried to shake the vulpine off his tail. The Sergeant waited for another lock on warning, but it didn't come. The blue fighter just followed behind the Hook Echo's white streamer of spent plasma.

He banked the Hook Echo tightly. But the Arwing continued to follow close behind him. Syxx was good. Syxx was really good. Jim Felon only knew one way to lose his rival now. The only way he could lose Syxx was out run him.

Before punching the thrusters forward, he glanced down at the radar, and the control panel. The Arwing was defiantly behind him, but still; there was no lock. There wasn't even an attempt to.

From the ground, everyone within the range got an amazing and free air show. They both raced around hundreds of meters in the air. Their altitude was still low for a dog fight.

Kyla watched as the blue ship fallowed close behind the white and black one in the distance. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see the targets better. Then the vixen's jaw dropped in awe and she spoke just above a whisper. "Syxx is playing with him."

Her Sergeant overheard her, and spoke into the hollow-panel on the dashboard of the army vehicle. "Sergeant Major Felon, what is your status, over?"

He got a frustrated reply. "I can't shake him! He isn't even initiating the missile lock! I-I think he's toying with me!"

Syxx yawned. He pressed the throttles forward to keep up to his target. If there was enough room in the Arwing to put his feet up on the dashboard, he would have. But, if there was one thing he had learned, it wasn't to get cocky, and to trust his instincts. It was time to end it.

He pulled down on the trigger and held it. The plasma missile lock circled its target. The black vulpine kept the targeting directly over the far superior Hook Echo. In nothing but another moment, the circle closed itself around the target. A high pitched _blip_ came from his controls and the lock was complete. Syxx had won.

A moment after the lock had initiated, the Hook Echo took off, and leaving the black vulpine's ship in the dust. He marveled at the speed it had, but it was too late to avoid the lock. It easily surpassed that of the Arwing. He couldn't wait to get his tail into one.

Syxx leaned back and yawned again, as if what he just did was no big deal. "That's game."

His reply was nothing less then he had expected. It came angry, surprised, and confused all at the same time. "I don't know how you did that. But, good game Syxx."

On the vulpine's hollow-panel, a raccoon's head came up. "Well done Syxx. You are clear to land near hanger five."

"Affirmative."

Syxx rolled the Arwing around the sky and preformed a victory lap of the base before landing the Arwing just outside the designated hanger. He shutdown the engines, and watched the hundred Slayers circle the tarmac outside his ship.

When the canopy opened, he was greeted by applause and whistling.

"Nice job Syxx! Way to show 'em!"

"That was impressive!"

The vulpine put his paws on the side of the ship, and flipped himself out. Before he could do anything else, a paw was placed over his shoulder. "That was! That was very impressive!"

Syxx looked back over his shoulder to see Pyro. "Thanks… I guess."

Pyro patted the black fox on the chest while his arm still over his shoulder. "Not bad, not bad! That's lookin' like it could have gone differently man! Haha!"

Syxx tried to ignore the Slayer. The Air Force Sergeant, who had already landed, approached him. The fox let his gaze fall to the ground, then toward the canine. He expected to get a punishment for winning. Maybe an hour in the hotbox, or something. But instead the dog grinned and extended a paw.

The vulpine looked at him in question. He expected a test of some kind, but after another moment Syxx slowly extended a paw and gave the dog one quick and hard shake. When he retracted his paw once again, he found the keys to the Hook Echo had been placed in his paw during the paw shake.

He looked up at the Sergeant. "Are you sure?"

"You won. Fair and square."

"I know."

"What? You don't want it anymore?"

Syxx paused for a moment. "To tell you the truth… no."

The Sergeant reached out his paw, as to take the keys back.

Syxx shot him a strange look. "Nah, I don't want it," he started walking toward the Hook Echo, "I just don't want you to have it."

The canopy of the Hook Echo remained open, and Syxx let himself in. After placing himself in the cockpit, the silvery mirror-like canopy shut over him. He was in complete silence.

The controls of the Hook Echo were amazingly similar to that of the Arwing II. Of course, there were some major differences. Even though it was ever so slightly smaller then his Arwing, the cockpit was very roomy and comfortable; perhaps even big enough for two people, given the correct circumstances.

There were some other things that also puzzled Syxx. Though, not many; there were hooks, and compartments, and shaped slots that he had never seen before. It was as if they all had a special item that they carried, but they were all empty for the time being. So, he forgot about it.

Syxx placed both paws on the dual stick controls. He noticed two triggers, compared to the Arwing's one. It was for the dual missile pods. But he wanted to test the SFX F1 Hook Echo for himself. He needed proof it was better then the SFX Arwing II.

A dog came up on the hollow-display. "Remember Syxx. An F1 is very expensive, and very powerful. This particular one has a safeguard on the weapons system, though it still is functional. Don't get in too deep. I don't want to have to pick up your pieces."

"Understood."

"Oh. One more thing."

"Sir?"

"Have a blast."

"Yes Sir."

A huge grin crawled up the vulpine's face. He took a deep breath, and began to the take off. The Hook Echo's powerful engines howled to life. Syxx could feel their power. He could feel the raw force of the fighter as a whole. This engine possessed a lot of thrust.

He glanced out the side of the window to see the Black Blade Star painted on a flash of the wing. It was his new symbol.

The fox eased it, letting it slowly rise vertically from the ground. He respected the power of the craft. When he thought it was high enough off the ground, he punched the dual sticks forward.

The Hook Echo didn't hesitate at all. The forces set him back into the seat, the view around the edges of the canopy began to blur, and Syxx did something that he never thought that he would have to do as a pilot. He let up on the throttle to slow down the craft.

It passed that test. It was fast. It was very fast. The speed even scared him a little. It would be something that he would have to adjust to and learn how to control. The days of struggling to out do a Wolfen, if they ever came up again, were over. The Hook Echo would leave the Wolfen in the dust.

Syxx was amazed; he didn't even have to hit the afterburners. Yet, he did remember hearing something about the F1 having the ability to outrun a missile. He doubted that, until now. But still… missiles were fast. Not something that he would want to be screwing around with.

Ok, so it surpassed the speed test by more then enough. But, what about agility? The four wings in theory would cut that down. But he couldn't have been more wrong. One advantage that the Arwing had over the Wolfen was that it was more maneuverable. That's why he could often out fly Wolf and his team.

The Hook Echo was more then that though… he pulled the ship into a U-turn and it responded with the utmost precision. His heart raced. He hadn't been this happy in years it felt. Even when the Arwing II was released, he hadn't felt like this. The Hook Echo was far superior to any fighter that he had ever seen.

Many ships were just mere upgrades from their original. The Hook Echo was in a complete league of its own. Of course, there were switches and buttons that he thought it be best not to touch until he was certain of their action.

The Arwing had a beautiful florescent blue streamer of plasma that followed its engine. This Hook Echo had a silvery white one that trailed the ship. He began to wonder about the engines, and what Slippy would have thought about them, and what he would have done to make them better.

Slippy was smart, and a very good mechanic… but he could never put something like this together. The Hook Echo was a true piece of art.

Syxx had yet the test the armor and the firepower of the ship, and it wasn't something he would be able to put to the test today. So, after a few more loops of the massive base, the fox decided that he had enough fun for one day. He set to land the Hook Echo directly where he had taken off from.

Syxx activated the canopy release before touching the ground. It swung open, just as it touched down. He tossed the keys through the air and they landed in the hound's paw, even before the whistling engines came to a fading silence.

The hound managed to pull a smile. "What did you think?"

Syxx spun around, now looking away from the Air Force Sergeant and toward the silver and black Hook Echo fighter. "It's amazing. I just have one question."

"How's that?"

Syxx spun around flashing a friendly, yet sinister smile. "How'd you manage to lose to me?"

Jim nodded, and then spun the question around. "Where did you learn to fly like that?"

The vulpine smirked. He remained silent for a moment, looking for an answer. "No where. I'm just naturally talented."

"Very well," said the hound, knowing that wasn't the real answer. "For the rest of you; training in the F1 Hook Echo begins this week. If any of you would like to match yourself to Slayer Sixty Six, please speak now."

A few of the Slayers shuffled but, none of them spoke up. Everyone that had saw the quick work that Syxx made of the seasoned pilot of the Air and Space Fighter Force had found a new respect for Syxx. He wasn't just any Slayer now, something made him special. Everyone respected him now.

Syxx's smile faded away, as another army vehicle soon neared the hundred Slayers. It was still two hangers away, when it stopped. From the rear of the APC, four figures in civilian clothing walked out escorted by a handful of Marines. Syxx ignored them until he heard that familiar and arrogant voice.

His green eyes stared down the tarmac. He asked his superior trainer. "Hey, Sergeant."

"Slayer?" Ramirez replied.

He shifted his head to point in to what he was referencing. "Who's this?"

"That? Oh, that's… _Star Falco_… I guess. I tell ya' the name isn't as smooth, but Falco Lombardi is a solid pilot. Former member of Starfox you know."

"I've heard." Syxx muttered. "What are they here for?"

"Today they're here to _shop_. I think Falco's looking for some new Arwing IIs."

"What about the Hook Echo?"

"Naw," he replied. "Between the four team members, they couldn't afford enough for more then two F1s let alone anything else they want. Plus it's a Slayer exclusive; the technology is too risky to allow falling into the hands of Lylat's rebellious forces. And Mercenaries are hard to keep track of. At least if we know where and when a Hook Echo goes down, we can ensure that it is either picked up immediately or destroyed."

The dark furred vulpine watched as the group moved closer to the silvery hanger he and the rest of the Slayers stood in front of. As the warriors stood and chatted amongst themselves, Syxx continued to speak to the Army Sergeant Major privately.

"Who are their members?" the vulpine inquired.

"Well, theirs Captain Lombardi himself, Kat Mon… Man… something, and I don't know the other two yet"

"Oh really? _Captain Lombardi_?" the vulpine mumbled.

"Yeah, General Peppy Hare granted the Greatfox to Falco… on a few conditions of course." Ramirez raised an eyebrow. "What makes you take so much attention in these guys?"

"Just… personal interest."

The Sergeant placed a paw on the fox's shoulder. "Well forget about them. That was some pretty fancy flying today, but you're going to have your own problem to deal with very soon." At that, the Sergeant walked away and toward the other Slayers.

Syxx continued to watch, at the edge of the crowd. The group soon to be known as Star Falco neared the hanger they were gathered in front of. An overwhelming emotion of rage and feeling betrayal grew within the dark fox. He folded his paws into knuckles clenched them hard, along with his teeth as well. He tried not to bare them and show his aggressively golden tooth.

The blue avian looked into the group and noticed a black vulpine that stuck out. Syxx lowered his head slightly and looked up at the falcon past his forehead. A deep glare came upon his face while flaring his ears backward, now nearly touching his skull.

The blue bird's eyes widened for a moment as he quickly turned his head away. Syxx continued to glare until a gentle paw rested on his shoulder. He didn't turn away, and kept staring.

The voice broke his trance. "Syxx? Are you alright?"

He recognized the voice. It was Kyla. His ears started to lift from his skull. "I'm fine."

"Just making sure," she saw what the man was looking at. "Why do you hate Starfox so much?"

"I thought you asked me this before."

"I asked you why you hated Fox McCloud so much."

"And how far did that get you?" he snapped back in a deep voice.

"Relax."

Syxx took a deep breath to calm himself. The fox unclenched his teeth and loosened his paws. He turned his body toward the red vixen. He looked into the vixen's deep mirror-like eyes. He could see a diluted reflection of himself, but a reflection none the less.

He sighed and a shallow smile crept up one side of his mouth. Kyla grinned back at him. "Where did you learn to fly like that? That was very impressive."

Syxx crossed his arms over his chest. He knew honesty wasn't the real answer now, not anymore at least. "Girls aren't the only ones that need to know how to survive."


	16. On The Inside

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XVI:**

**On The Inside**

* * *

"_I never put you down,  
I never pushed you away,  
Your not supposed to be that way,  
Take anything you want,  
There's nothing I could say,  
Is there anything to feel?  
Is it pain that makes you real?  
Cut me up before it kills me,_

_Long way down,  
I don't think I'll make it on my own,  
Long way down,  
I don't want to live in here alone,  
Long way down,  
I don't think I'll make it on my own"_

**HASTE THE DAY – **_**"Long Way Down"**_

* * *

"As a to-be Slayer…"

Ramirez lifted his paw. He touched a white screen with the tip of a claw. The Sergeant dragged it across the white board. Each time he lifted the tip of his claw, his sloppy writing would digitally turn into neat typing. He wrote formulas and equations across the board.

Syxx looked at them in question; he was familiar with some of them. In his days back in the academy he had learned some of them. As a member and the leader of team Starfox he never needed to know any of these complicated formulas. He imagined that Slippy would though… he knew everything.

"… You are going to be placed in tight situations in which you'll need to know how to take what you have and improvise." He spun around, waged his tail and took a seat on the edge of the front table. "What is the name for this formula?"

Pyro leaned back into his chair. "What the h-ll is this going to help us with!? This is like high school all over again! What the f-ck is this!? I wanna fire some more guns!"

"Pyro!" the officer barked. "I don't expect you to know what this is! I don't even expect most of you to have gone to school and…"

Pyro closed his eyes just after rolling them. "That's glycerin."

The Sergeant looked at the warrior who was now pretending to be asleep. "Alright smart guy… what happens when we nitrate something?"

"What do you mean?"

"What happens when we nitrate an element or when we nitrate a compound? For example, we can nitrate something… like a cotton ball and it becomes nitrocellulose. What happens?"

He continued to lean back in his chair with his eyes closed. "It becomes an explosive."

"…and this…"

"Nitroglycerin."

"The formula for…"

The raccoon slowly leaned forward, the chair tipped back down onto all four legs. He opened his eyes, and propped his head up on his wrist, and shot the other raccoon a dumb look. "C3H5(NO3)3… liquid at SATP."

"Very impressive Mister Pyro."

Pyro cocked his head before closing his eyes once more. He buried his muzzle into his arms, exhausted. "Yeah thanks. I majored in blowing things up."

Paul Ramirez lifted himself from the table he was sitting on. "Nitroglycerin is a rarer combination of elements as compared to what it used to be. It used to be the main component in dynamite. Now, everything is plasma based. Plasma is none of the three states of matter, which are a solid, a liquid and gas. Plasma is the fourth state of matter. But the explosive charges we now use are composed of a thermal plasmatic, which… the best way of describing is a superheated liquid. Any idea how strong the Blasters fit onto the Arwing are?"

Syxx knew the answer right away. "About 450kW," he could remember Slippy talking about it.

Ramirez nodded. "That's right sixty-six. How'd you…never mind. Now I would like to compare that to you're F1 Hook Echo…"

The lead Sergeant looked to his left as a German Sheppard entered the class. "Sorry I'm late. I've had a long day." He groaned.

The hound got right to work. He moved his large paw to the white board. He clicked it around until he opened a blue print of a 3D model for the F1. "The Hook Echo is the most advanced fighter ever. I can say it is way before its time, which will give all of you, an advantage in the battle field."

The room dimmed and Syxx could get a better look at the virtual blue print.

The hound pointed at the dual weapons of the ship. The blue print automatically zoomed in on it, and defined the Blasters, by highlighting them. The view slowly rotated around the promo of the dual weapon system.

Jim Felon smiled wearily. "Let's start with the weapons, because that seems to be the subject right now. I will try to prospect the features on the ship compared to the Arwing Mark II. Just to give you an idea of what to think." He pointed to the Blasters on the screen. "These are the newest models of Blasters. The Arwing's dual blasters run at a little over 450kW. These shoot at 800kW. That's nearly double. Any questions? No? Let's move on." He snapped.

The picture rotated. It zoomed into the hull of the small fighter. A sub-screen broke the armor down into layers. Syxx could see each individual one, and knew that it was different from the Arwings. It was composed of many different layers of different colored materials. Each was a different thickness and served a different purpose.

"Syxx?"

The black fox was nothing but a shadow in the dark room. He slowly shook out of his exhausted stare. "What?"

"You're the only one in this room who has piloted an F1 besides me. What was the first thing that you noticed when you got into the Hook Echo?"

The dark fox yawned. "The space… I guess. The inside is big. Maybe even for two… if you had to."

"That's right!" he pointed at the blue print. "This is where we are able to get that. The F1's armor is half as thick as the Arwing II's, but just as strong. This is extremely light carbonated fiber steel deplete. Since you are most likely to be shot at by plasma, the armor also has an on point cooling system, which decreases damages even more, making it superior to the Arwing. The thinner and lighter armor allowed the SFX engineers to give the pilot some extra space. The Hook Echo that we use around the base actually has to replicate and produce its own radar waves to be seen, for security reasons or course. If that is disabled, the Hook Echo is one hundred percent invisible to radar by using Super-RAM."

The hound paused. He waited in the silence before moving on, "The engine."

The picture on the wall spun around and zoomed in on the engines.

Jim Felon went on. "The Hook Echo's engine is similar to the Arwing II. It is based on the same designed, but improved. The engines leave a white trail, which is actually a way of attempting to cool the exhaust. Plasma Missiles track onto heat, which is what engines produce. They still burn hot, but _a lot_ cooler then the Arwing's. If a missile locks onto you, you can have the opportunity, to fly by another ship and guaranteed that it will forget about you, and chase a something else with a high heat signature. With plasma dark matter primers, the engines have twice the thrust of the Arwing. Thus, twice the top speed, and torque. And, a fun fact for you; this is a confirmed test. If a missile locks onto the Hook Echo, and in the right circumstances, say if you had nothing in front of you and with help of the after burners, the F1 will outrun it."

Syxx huffed still in disbelief. Missiles were fast, they were possible to out maneuver, and still after riding in one, and considering it, he still thought it was impossible.

"And the last major feature on the Echo is the dual pods for the missiles. The Arwing had a single pod. This is the same one placed on the Hook Echo. Except now, there are two. The pods are the same, but since there are two; the new missile types feed information to each other. So, if one were to get diverted, the other would track the first thing. If there are two targets, the missiles will lock onto separate ones. But of course, you choose to lock on one at a time or two."

The picture zoomed out and showed the Hook Echo as a whole. "Now for some of the sprinkles of the fighter; some of these countermeasures are gonna help you out a lot and are what make the Echo a _very_ special ship."

The picture spun around the back of the ship once again. Some parts of the four wings were highlighted. They were just small panels on the trailing edge of the wing. Before the fox even had time to wonder what they were it was all explained. Every time he began a new subject the image would turn to what Jim was referring to.

"On the aft of the fighter, there are flares that fall from the ship that also burn hotter then the engines. This will help divert missiles, but not direct fire Blaster shot. On the wing panel there is the Black Blade Slayer Star, the canopy is one way silver glass, It is a half meter shorter wing span then the Arwing II, half meter shorter as height, and the same length. Fixed with a standard max nine Nova Bomb bay, and an external pressurized compartment, for those larger loads. That is found on the belly of the craft." The dog grinned. "Oh! And one more thing..." he trailed off.

The screen made a _wooaannn_ sound. The print of the Hook Echo faded away. It was still visible, but there was just an outline on the fighter. Syxx's eyes shot wide open, before he narrowed them, focusing on what he was watching. The vulpine cocked his head sideways and whispered aloud in confusion. "What?" He anticipated something.

The dogs grin grew larger. "Over the past few years, SFX has been experimenting with stealth light bending, reflection and refraction technology. Andrew Oikonny perfected some of this technology. Of course, the Stealth Squadron was completely destroyed by Starfox and the Cornerian Space Navy Corps. SFX had to tread their own path to cloaked technology. They have finally done it. That… is premiered in the soon to be known as the _Legendary Hook Echo_."

Syxx's jaw opened. "So…"

"The Hook Echo has a perfected stealth generator. The cloaking is flawless."

Butterflies went through the fox's stomach. "What's the catch?"

"There are two catches to the cloak. Number one, no matter what the ship looks like, it will always appear on the radar, unless you have the transmitter deactivated. Then Hook Echo is the only ship that is perfectly invisible to radar, and the eyes."

Syxx sighed. "Not much of a catch."

"Catch number two," he paused. "The generator takes a lot of energy to power. It cannot be powered as long as the engines are running. You can't fly and be cloaked at the same time, of course, unless you are coasting through space without the engines running. But keep in mind, this means you cannot accelerate, steer or stop. In environments with gravity and atmosphere, this means that you're going to plow that ship into the ground."

Syxx could feel his heart start to race. The Hook Echo was amazing. He then thought if the Sergeant used everything that the Hook Echo had against him… then he probably would not have won. Not if it were a real dog fight anyways, and the Hook Echo used its full power. After what he had just learned, he figured that a Hook Echo had too much of an advantage over the Arwing.

Ramirez cut in. "Slayers, you've had a long day. Make you're way back to the barracks. I'll see you at the same time as usual."

Syxx sighed heavily, stretched and lifted himself from the chair. All day he had been wearing the light green Army T-shirt rather then the thick Marine tunic. A few other Slayers followed as he made his way out the doors of the Military Complex. He lowered the sunglasses down over his green eyes to shield them from the dimly lit evening sky.

Troops and ranks of Marines marched together in three rows each. Not Slayers though… Slayers were independent.

Kyla stepped up beside him as he quickly walked down the silvery roads of the base. "Hello."

Syxx continued walking fast. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering the same with you. Where are you off to?"

"Some good old fashion 'R and R' is sounding like a little bit of heaven right now."

She giggled. "Long day?"

"You tell me. You were there. Don't tell me that you're not tired as h-ll. Today wasn't exactly a _cake walk_."

"Maybe if you learned to shut your mouth every now and then, you wouldn't be singled out."

"I'm not as bad as Pyro. I hate people telling me what to do." "_That used to be my job._" A quick thought ran through his head.

"So back to the room then?"

"Well, where am I going to go? They're watching us all the time. Some day, I'm going to tear this chip clean out of my neck. I guess I was just going to go back to barracks. No where special."

Just as Kyla was about to reply, a Marine commander stepped up to the pair. Syxx was unfamiliar with the man, and after this encounter he assumed that the Sergeant was unfamiliar with him too.

"Hey!" the feline yelled.

Syxx spun his head around and looked at the feline Marine right in the eye. He remained silent still. He looked at the ranks that the Sergeant led. All the Marines stared at the show that was going on in front of them.

The grey cat stepped up to him. "You are not in rank! You are not in uniform! You are not marching. You are not saluting! Where are you supposed to be Marine!?"

Syxx lowered his ears, and showed his teeth. The gold canine glowed in the red set of the sky. But that was nothing short of how fierce he looked. The black vulpine growled and raised his sunglasses on top of his head. He saw the Marine place a paw on his sidearm as the fox reached his right paw over to his left arm, and quickly pull up the sleeve. The white star written into his black fur gave it all away.

The Sergeant gasped his jaw dropped a little and his eyes bulged. "I – I'm sorry. And… her… too right?"

Kyla cocked her head, and gave the feline a cute, but somehow sinister smirk. She flicked her eyebrows up once and brushed her brown bangs out of her eyes. She too wore the fitted female light green Army shirt instead of the tunic over it. The shirt was considerably tight on her, and showed off the shapes of her body.

The Marine quickly nodded. "Right. I'm sorry. It will not happen again… uhh _Sir_. Carry on."

Syxx growled low and deep one more time before he continued walking away.

Kyla sprinted shortly to catch up with him. She grinned at Syxx and looked back at the Sergeant that still stared at the pair of Slayers. Kyla gained more respect for the dark fox. An exited look came upon her face. "Did he just call you _Sir_?!" She asked in disbelief.

Syxx laughed. "I think so. Finally there's someone showing a little respect for Slayers."

She got hooked on the little event. "I don't believe that! You don't even have a rank!"

"I'm a Slayer, I don't need one."

"That just increased my respect for you too. But, do you always have to be so hostile?"

He smiled. "I do what I can."

"Well, I think you trying to hide something."

"Aren't we all?"

"Maybe so, Syxx. Or maybe it's just me." Her heart began to race and she could feel her cheeks start to heat. "But I find it kind of attractive."

Syxx stopped. The red vixen looked into his eyes. She thought maybe that they had made a connection for a second. She had known him for the past six or seven weeks, and though he was often rude, and did swear on occasion, there was something that attracted her to him. He was rouged, and that's what she thought had attracted her to the fox.

She thought she had given him enough time to get to know her and warm up to her a little. Kyla had tried to build some trust with him and that was hard because he was tough, and did anything to complete a mission. No matter what the cost. And that gave her a sense of security.

There was something about him that made him strong too. She could tell, he was one of the people who looked out for himself and himself only. Little did she know that that wasn't always true. The fox used to put himself last, and others comfort before his.

She kept staring into his eyes. The connection she thought she had gotten with him broke. He took off walking away even faster then he had before, but still not running.

Kyla stepped quick to catch up again. She put a paw on his shoulder and struggled to keep up with his quick walk without running. "Ok! I'm sorry! I didn't think that you'd react that way! But, what's wrong?"

"I just can't… alright? It's not that I don't want to. I just can't."

"Ok Syxx, I'm fine with that. Just! Slow down! Let me talk!"

The vulpine slowed a little.

"Thank you. Just tell me one thing. Why?"

A vision of Krystal went through his head. The vulpine became more upset and angrier. "Can't say. I just don't want to." He refused to look at the red vixen.

"That's not what you just said! Syxx, just… let's talk about it. I want to help you!"

The pair of Slayers stepped into the boot room of the barrack. The vixen became impatient and decided that she had, had enough. She doubled in front of the larger vulpine. The vixen put out both paws, and used all her might to pin his shoulders against the wall.

She looked at him eye to eye and snarled deeply. "I've had enough."

The vulpine stared at his boots; still refusing to look at the shapely vixen in front of him.

"You will tell me what the matter is. I won't drop this until I know. Now look at me Syxx."

"You might be waiting a long time."

"Look at me."

"I thought I made it clear that…"

"Syxx! Look at me!" she bared her teeth, and moved her muzzle closer. She growled in his ear.

He closed his eyes for a moment; then opened them again. He slowly ran them up her curvaceous figure, past her chest, and into her eyes. Kyla stared back at him, she could now see it his eyes. Everything that dwelled within the fox was visible to her. A single tear beaded, and then dropped down to the silvery floor.

Kyla now saw it. Why he was the way he was. A part of her knew that he couldn't always have been that way. Though he cried silently inside of himself, she could feel his brute force and anger. She wasn't sure who he was mad at, maybe he was just angry in nature.

His paws where wrapped tightly into knuckles and from his neck down, every muscle was tensed. His fists vibrated in rage.

She loosened her grip now fearing him a little. "Syxx… I'm so sorry. I – you've lost someone haven't you?"

"Did you put that together all by yourself? How wise you have become." Syxx held back his anger. Kyla didn't need to see that. Not now.

She ignored the insult. But, the vulpine had already gently pushed her aside, and paced toward the stairs. "Wait Syxx…" she trailed off.

The fox stopped once more. His eyes moved back turned to Kyla, then back in front of him with his back still to her. His voice was strong as ever. "Unless you have something else to say, I'd suggest that you drop this and never mention this again. Understood?"

"Just wait for a second. Maybe, we can talk about this. Just… give me a chance."

"The last time I gave someone a chance. It nearly killed me."

"I'm not like that."

"No, none of you are." He said sarcastically.

"Come on! Just a single chance. Please? Can we maybe… watch the sunset together?"

"We can't see it from our window. And if we go anywhere else, they'll track us down. Who knows what they'll do then. But I can tell you, its not gonna be good and its going to hurt… a lot."

"So, we'll go on the roof. They'll never figure it out. Besides, we don't have any rules. Come on Syxx… just this once." She pleaded. "We can justify it. Please?"

Kyla saw him raise a paw and wipe his eye. The vulpine slowly turned around. She could tell that he was considering it.

"Come on Syxx…" she begged.

"Is this for you or this for me? Because, honestly I don't need to put up with this BS right now. I have enough on my plate. And, if this is some kind of sick joke, then you will never live it down. Do you read me?"

Her jaw quivered, slightly in fear. "Yes, I understand you. It's not a joke. Just trust me. This once. That's all I ask."

His head drifted around before he looked up at her. "How are we going to get up there?"

She smiled. "I saw a ladder on the back side of the building one day. We'll use that."

He nodded then whispered. "Ok then."

The red vixen nodded. "Thank you." She spun around and slowly made her way out the door again. The vulpine slowly followed her. They walked around the backside of the building.

Kyla looked over her shoulder. The black fox trailed just behind her. She waited for him. The vixen held out a paw. "Come on. Don't fall behind."

She latched her paw onto the larger vulpine's. The black fox pulled his paw away and glared at the vixen.

She raised her eyebrows, slightly insulted by the black fox's action. "Ok. Fine."

Syxx and Kyla came to the ladder. She made Syxx go up first. She didn't want him to bail on her. After they both got to the top, Kyla took a seat on the edge of the building. Syxx stood behind her, with his arm crossed.

She swung her head directly backwards and looked up and him cutely. "Have a seat Syxx. I won't bite." She joked.

"I'd rather stand."

"Come on. I didn't drag you up here to sit by myself." She patted the edge of the roof beside her with her tail. "Sit."

He abided, and took a seat. He looked down past his black army boots to the grass four stories below. Kyla could tell there was a lot going through his mind right now

She moved closer to him. "You don't have to be invited. Just do as you please."

He remained silent.

"You really don't want to talk about this huh?"

His fur texture and color throughout the day hadn't changed at all. No matter what, his fur was silky black light the night. As the sky grew a brighter orange, the horizon lit up Kyla's red fur, making her glow beautifully.

She slid over closer him; pressing the side of body against his. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"There's nothing left to say… there was nothing I could say."

"How did it happen?"

He remained silent and took a deep breath. Even though he still sounded strong, the vixen could tell this was very hard for him. "I just… made too many mistakes."

"I'm sure you did you're best."

He snapped back. "Yeah well I guess my best wasn't good enough."

"I don't know how to put this… but… is she…"

"She might as well be dead. I tried to save her."

"That can't be the only thing that made you what you are now, what happened. Did, they just put you down, and push you away? Is it a revenge thing?" She turned to him. "You're not supposed to be this way."

He glanced back at her. "I don't know. I just don't want it to happen again. I thought if I came here, I wouldn't have anyone to worry about but myself."

Syxx thought of the mistakes he head made. Maybe, with Kyla he could get something to work. He could tell she was strong. She was stronger then Krystal could ever be. Kyla could take care of herself, he knew that. That was the mistake that had cost him so much. One that he would never make again.

"I don't care if you change or not. In fact, I like you just the way you are."

The fox sighed, watching the sky change colors. He bit his lip, still thinking.

Kyla slowly inched her paw over to his, and wrapped it around his. This time he didn't pull away. She squeezed it, and he squeezed back. Kyla knew that the fox was a little evil, but she had a part like the too. She wasn't out to change him.

She leaned her head over onto his shoulder. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll never put you down. I'll never push you away. I know what makes you real. Pain."

Syxx thought deeper into the mistakes he made, and the future that lay out in front of him. He had a long way to go, and maybe he wouldn't be able to make it on his own. He was more then independent. He was more then strong enough, but maybe a little help now and then wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Before he knew it, the cute vixen wrapped her arm around his side, while still leaning her head over his shoulder. Syxx hesitated; his arm hovered around her side without placing it down.

She grinned again, turning toward him with her chin on his shoulder, looking up at him. She spoke into his ear. "It's alright Syxx. You're still warming up to me."


	17. Cold Drop

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XVII**

**Cold Drop**

* * *

"_After all these images of pain,  
Have cut right through you,  
I will kiss every scar and weep,  
You are not alone,  
Then I'll show you that place,  
In my chest where my heart,  
Still tries to beat,  
It still tries to beat,_

_Aren't you tired of being weak?  
Such rage that you could scream,  
All the stars right out of the sky,  
And destroy the prettiest starry night,  
Every evening that I die,"_

**ATREYU – **_**"Lip Gloss and Black"**_

* * *

Syxx went to bed a little more relived that night. Maybe he did just need someone to talk to for just a little while. Though he did feel better, it wasn't something that was about to change him or something he was going to take to his head. Without him knowing, he was falling farther into the darkness.

Later in the night, Syxx could hear light footsteps. The day had been way to exhausting and stressful. But Syxx was a light sleeper, and if even the slightest noise were to reverberate then his ear would twitch and wake him. He simply thought that maybe it was Kyla, which would be the last time he ever left his guard down in his "home".

He listened as the footsteps neared his bed. He was about to turn over, when a generous sharp pain greeted, and doused through him, originating from his neck and falling out all through his body.

That was when the rampage began. Syxx's shout was loud enough to wake everyone in the whole building and drop stars from the sky. He jumped out of his bed and swung his fists wildly in the darkness. He shouted at the top of his lungs, as a few satisfying throws connected with a furry target.

Through his spurt of violence, he could hear Kyla. "Syxx!! What's the matter!?"

The vulpine swung a few more wild punches around the room. Two more shots hit. He could have sworn that he felt bone break. He was tired of being weak. The rage inside of him screamed for him to kill. He was tired of the images inside of him. Syxx was tired of the pain. If he could scream the stars out of the sky he would.

But, after that he felt confused and woozy. Before he knew it, the room lit up.

The brightness was too much to take in at once. His eyes couldn't adjust. The black fox stumbled backwards and fell to the floor, now lying on his back. The world began to get fuzzy on the edges of his view. Every muscle in his body began to go limp.

The vulpine knew he only had a limited amount of time left before he would lose consciousness. He lifted his head from the floor. He grinned, as a dog in a Marine uniform lay with his back against a wall.

On the wall above where the Marine lay there was a splotch of blood that smudged down to where he lay. Now, the blood was steaming down the side of his mouth, and dripping onto the floor, quickly pooling. The canine's eyes were closed.

Syxx's adrenaline began to wear off, as the drug took its effect on his body. With the last of his energy, he reached to his neck and pulled out a familiar dart. He saw traces of blood on his paw. But, not his blood he knew.

The drug pulled him down. As his muscles began to relax, his head was pulled to the ground. He kept his eyes open with his little remaining strength. Kyla leaped out of her bed and made her way toward Syxx.

He looked up at her with his little remaining strength. When the vixen got half way to him from her bed, the same fate became of her.

Kyla's heart raced. The only thing she could hear was Syxx's yelling and rampage. She leaped out of bed, after the vulpine hit the floor. The Marine laying motionless on the wall next to her bed was in bad shape. Maybe Syxx didn't get many hits in, but the ones he did get, really counted.

Syxx looked up. Kyla's face was worried. Then a short _fffutt_ sound came from beyond where Syxx could see. Kyla yelped in a high pitch. Something small contacted her neck. She lifted her paw to the side of her neck attempting the shield the wound.

Syxx watched as she towered over him. The vixen stood still, shocked but still above him. Syxx watched, expressionless as Kyla began to lose her balance. She began stumbling, as she neared him. Her body began to limp. He knees jelled, as they struggled to keep her up.

Syxx tried to tense every muscle in his body. But it failed. The vixen came crashing down on him in a pile. The vulpine had the wind knocked out of him as Kyla's unconscious body landed on him.

The last thing he heard was from a young Marine that was still out of his sight. "Slayer down!"

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

"Come Fox! Come see!" the exited little blue vixen jumped up and down.

"Ok! Ok! It'll be there all evening!"

Krystal stood on the edge of the balcony. The fox's room was near the top of the hotel. Thanks to a mistake that was made, Krystal had the honor of sharing a room with Fox McCloud. Of course, as it had been aboard the Greatfox, he preferred to sleep on the couch away from the bed, leaving it for Krystal.

She sighed. It was her first day on Corneria. Fox had shown her around and spent a lot of credits on her. She had thanked him for it though. The only clothes she had were the ones on her back, and after that she had just worn Fox's clothes around, which were baggy on her but they were still a fit.

She even got more embarrassed when Fox told her, that he Cerinian outfit may not be entirely appropriate for Corneria.

"Fox hurry!"

"Just give me a second."

"You're going to miss it!"

"I'm not going to miss the sunset. I just have to finish these forms, and then I'll be right out, ok?"

"Ok, just hurry!"

The blue vixen was exited. She had never seen the sun set on Corneria before. After the past two nights on the Greatfox, she had learned a lot about Cornerian culture, like the fact that they had not the ability to read minds, and she often caught herself reading Fox's.

The red vulpine uncrossed his legs and placed his feet back onto the floor from off the table. He carefully read each single line of the form, and then quickly scratched off his signature.

Krystal must have been reading his mind at this time, because as soon as the pen lifted from the paper, she wined. "There you're done. Now come out here!"

"Alright."

Fox rested his arms on the railing of the deck. He looked out over the horizon. As Solar set into the sky, it left a reflection on the water of the Ocean. A few stray clouds speckled the horizon.

The vulpine glanced toward the vixen. Her eyes reflected the wide horizon. And he couldn't help but notice that a tear had beaded at the base of the vixen's eye.

He remained silent for a moment and then looked at her strangely. "Is… everything alright Krystal?"

She nodded. "Yes. Everything is wonderful. I… I've just never had anyone be this nice to me before. I've never had someone… to care for me like this. I just wish I could repay you somehow."

"Forget about it Krystal. It's all covered. I can afford it."

"I know. I just don't feel right. I don't want to be the damsel in distress. I want to help. I want to be a part of team Starfox."

A grin crept up the vulpine's face. "Really!?"

"Yes." She turned her head and shoulders to him. "I've decided to take you up on your invitation."

"That's great!"

"But… are you sure that the rest of team won't mind? I haven't really talked to any of them yet. And, where do I start? I don't know how to fly those ships of yours."

"We'll start by getting you're pilot's license. I'll have Falco take you tomorrow."

She cocked her head as her smiled washed away. "What? Why Falco? I want to go with you."

"Falco is a better pilot then me. You'll learn more from him then you will from me. Besides, I have some unfinished business to attend to tomorrow."

Krystal then looked out past the horizon. Her head drooped toward the deck. Tears started to pat the balcony floor. Her bangs fell in front of her eyes, and the red vulpine couldn't see them.

Fox's heart started to race. "Krystal? Are you ok? What's wrong?"

She ignored him as if trapped in her own little word. Drops of salty tears ran down her face and beaded on her fur. "_I'm sorry, you broke my heart._"

* * *

**_X_**

* * *

Syxx felt himself begin jostled up and down. His strange dream slowly started to drain out of his minds eye.

He slowly tried to open his eyes. They were still so heavy. He tried again, and forced them open. His head stung, as it had before when he had been shot with the strange dart.

The dream still clouded his head. A final phrase went through his head. "_Breathe just let it go, Armageddon Soul._"

"Never," he panted just louder then a whisper. His eyes shot open.

He looked around. He was in a small dimly lit area. The whole room seamed to jump up and down. There were no windows and the bench seat across from him was packed full of other troops, which had had mistaken for as Combative Marines at first because of their wear but then looked at their faces and recognized them as Slayers.

All of them were still asleep. Some slept vertically, in a sitting position. Others heads lulled onto the shoulder's of the persons beside them. As did one on him. Syxx looked to his right to see a wall, and to his left to see a figure with a helmet leaning on his shoulder.

This made him look down at his own person. An M27 Plasma Machinegun had been slung over his neck and now lay loose in his lap.

He reached down to hold it properly. His paw was covered in a black glove. The knuckle was coated with a lightweight green steal. As the rest of his body was armored with this lightweight green armor, it wasn't exactly flexible, but they put flex points in the right places. Most the torso was covered in the futuristic armor, but the joints had black fabric in them.

The armor had belts around it. Some of which he had found contained plasma batteries in them. He wasn't sure if they were charged, but it was better then nothing. Two _Plasma Fragmentation Grenades_ had also been placed on him. A knife was securely attached to his belt along with a few other items.

There were some other loose and empty buckles around his torso. A radio that was built into the armor was located on the right side of his chest with a communicator that operated it.

He placed a hand on pistol grip of the weapon. He checked its magazine battery, and found it full. Each mag would give him one hundred shots.

The black fox shook his head quickly, trying to shake himself out of the heavy sleep even more. For the first time, he noticed a green helmet, with a loose outer fabric had been placed on his head.

With frustration, he threw the helmet to the floor.

"You sure you won't be needing that?"

Syxx wearily looked up. The jostling and bouncing room wasn't really bright, but he could still tell who was speaking to him from up the hall. It was the Marine Sergeant Major Jeff Aiello. The husky kept a grip on the rails to keep his balance.

Syxx knew his voice would be groggy. It cracked weakly as he spoke. "Where am I?"

The husky in Marine training gear stepped toward him. Then stood with his back to the wall that Syxx sat beside. "You're going to find out soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He moaned.

The lights in the room slowly faded in. Racks and buckles covered the room and swung back and forth with the rhythm of the rocking. Then he realized where he was. He was in a dropship. But, the only reasons ships flew with this much turbulence was if they were entering an atmosphere or they were flying in bad weather.

"Jeff…" the fox groaned weakly.

"That's Sergeant to you."

"I don't care what it is. The only reason dropships fly like this, is if they are entering an atmosphere, or they're in a storm."

"I'm not a flyboy sixty-six. I'm a good and honest Marine. I feel safer behind a trigger, rather then a control stick any day."

As the light in the rear of the ship brightened, a handful more Slayers woke up. Kyla coughed on the vulpine's shoulder leaving a string on saliva from her muzzle to Syxx's armor.

She wiped her mouth. The first thing that she did as well as Syxx had, was take off the helmet and cradled her head in her paws. She placed it on her lap over her own rifle. She shook her head around, trying to focus.

The vixen turned her head toward Syxx, both eyes were still weak, and one was slightly more open then the other. "Sy…xx? Where are we?"

"I just have a feeling that we are about to find out."

The Marine husky shouted toward the front of the ship. "ETA to fall point?"

One of the pilots shouted back. "Two minuets out Sir. The base is fifteen feet, no rocks, no trees you are clear to drop them at anytime."

"Understood. Let's wake them up."

"Roger that Sergeant. Stay clear of the blast doors. Clear?"

Though the Sergeant was a little closer then safe, he replied, "Affirmative." He grabbed onto the rails and ensured he would not fall out.

The wall that Syxx was sitting next to started to fold out away from him. The crack between the door and the ceiling grew lager and brighter. Syxx squinted as it became brighter. Then, a horrible whistling sound echoed through the back of the ship followed by a wave of white flakes that swirled around the troops.

The majority of the Slayers, who were not awake, were now. Cold flakes of snow landed on Syxx's black fur. He grasped the bottom of his seat, ensuring he wasn't going to fall out.

The door finished folding down, and was now a ramp that led off the ship. All that was outside was a wall of white while whistling winds and flakes of snow let themselves in.

Syxx could feel the ship begin to lower more. He thought he could see ground below him, and in the white wall, there were five other shadows that soon faded into also being blue and silver Cornerian dropships. That explained where all the other Slayers were located.

Sergeant Aiello was nothing but a silhouette against the white sky behind him. "Rise and shine Slayers! You've slept in!"

Syxx heard many of the warriors growl; as did he.

The Sergeant went on. "This is where your training really begins. This is a process of weeding out the weak."

"And where are we?" Syxx asked again.

"I would like to be the first to welcome you all to planet _Fachina_."

Syxx slung his head back and moaned. "Aww!! Son of…"

"Planet Fachina is best known as the _Ice Planet_. In the Aparoid war, team Starfox retook the climate control center. Today we can control the usually baron landscape and today; you are to carry out a single task here. To survive. This is where we find out who really deserves to be a Slayer. Those of you that survive forty-eight hours on the surface move on step closer to becoming a Slayer. Those of you, who don't, die on the surface. You're body won't retrieved until later."

The pilot in the front spoke over the communication network. "Sixty seconds Sergeant."

"Understood! Slayers as for your Intel? There will be a Marine strong hold somewhere on the surface. There will be patrols." The large husky turned to look directly at Syxx. "And they will be looking for you. Anyone caught will be brought to the strong hold, their timers will be reset, and they will be given a three hour head start. Because of the chips in your neck _we _always know exactly where you are. That information will not feed to the Marines. You can choose to stay on the move or hunker down, and pray you don't get found."

Syxx's heart leaped. He took a quick look at Kyla who was staring past him out into the white out. He knew not be worried about her. He was already prepared for her death. The vulpine looked back toward the Sergeant as he spoke.

"I've been talking to the climate controllers of the planet. They say that we're not in for such good weather. _Savage_ dropships will not be flying until your pick up, for those of you who make it. You know what they say about those who can't do right?"

Syxx was the one on the very end of the bench seat, closest to the open hatch. He stared out the window. Then up towards the Sergeant and smirked wickedly, "They teach." He insulted the Marine.

The vulpine paid for that one. Without having time to react, the larger Cornerian husky grabbed him by a buckled and threw him out the rear of the ship.

Kyla actually smiled as she saw the vulpine disappear into the white sky. The dark fox was grinning even as he flew through the air, so she didn't feel bad about it. Not that she would anyways.

The Sergeant talked with his paws, narrowing his eye brows, now irritated. "Ok! I'm really getting sick of some of those cracks! Anyone else want to be a hero!?" he roared.

The last thing Syxx saw was Kyla smiling back at him as he flew backwards through the air. He stared into the sky above him and watched the blue belly of the craft pass over top of him. Butterflies filled his stomach as his body accelerated toward the ground.

The fox wasn't aware of his horizontal velocity. He couldn't define the sky from the ground. Everything was white. When he hit the snow, it was much deeper then he thought it was going to be. But it was soft. He saw chunks of snow and gear fly all around him, as well as his tail, that he had tucked in during the roll.

He tumbled in circles. For anyone on the ground who would have seen, the vulpine would have been nothing more then a cloud of powder.

When his rolling and bouncing finally came to a stop, he was buried muzzle first into the snow. The fox quickly pulled himself out of the deep powder. He could feel that a lot had snuck into the cracks of the armor as was cool against his fur.

The vulpine spun around and looked toward the sky as the trailing Savages followed the one that he had fallen from.

The Marine Combative Armor had a communicator built into the left wrist. But when he spoke, the radio on his chest would pick it up. He heard the speakers, on the radio whistle before a voice came on.

"I hope you learned you're lesson Slayer. If you'll look on you're left wrist, you'll see a timer. When the timer reaches zero, a Savage dropship will come pick you up at your position. It is currently 1100 hours, but it will be dark by 2000. The temperature is negative twenty three degrees Celsius. At night, the temperatures can drop to negative fifty. You're soul objective is to survive at all costs. Do you hear me? All costs, anything you can do to survive, do it. Good luck. Over and out."

Syxx narrowed his view and watched the ships blue thrusters disappear into the blizzard. The snow burned at his eyes. "Wait a second!"

The Marine Combat Armor _beeped_ at him once and he read a message on the communicator:

_Communication Line: Red (Signal Terminated)_

_Location: Lylat System Planet Fachina (Unknown Exact Location)_

_WARNING: Dramatic Temperature Change (36 degree drop)_

_WARNING: New Geological Conditions (Armor Acclimatizing)_

_Attention: Mark V Siege Marine Corps Armor batteries at 98_

Syxx's heart leapt as he started to realize the insensitivity of his new situation. He looked down at the green armored pads on one arm then the other. The steel-like green pads began to get lighter, to a bright green, and then they began to pale. When the armor finished changing, it was a bright white color. It matched perfectly with the snow around him.

It wasn't perfect though. The straps and buckles on the armor where still black, and the cracks for the fabric in the joints still remained dark as well. One more thing that showed were the fine but, plentiful wear marks and scratches of the plating.

The vulpine glanced down at the communicator again:

_Attention: Mark V Siege Marine Corps Armor Acclimatization Completed_

_WARNING: Harsh Climate (Life Assistance Estimated 8 Hours)_

_Time Frame: 47h: 56m: 17s_

Syxx sighed. He knew what that meant. The Siege armor would only help keep him warm for the next eight hours. Then the batteries would die out. He could be in a lot of trouble by then. Especially of it got much colder.

"Power down Siege Armoring," he stated.

Syxx wasn't familiar with the armor. It was something new to him altogether. But he was smart. If it got as cold as the Sergeant said it would at night; he would need the heating system in the armor to help him stay alive at night and not during the day.

His insertion hype began to wear off. And began to get thinking about survival, and if there was anything dangerous out here. He glanced three hundred sixty degrees around him. There was one large hole in the snow, where the rifle would lay.

After lifting himself from the deep powder, he dug out the gun and wrapped it around his neck again. A few other items had been expelled off him during the fall but nothing serious. He didn't even know off all the equipment he began with.

When he got the rifle out of the snow, a shiver ran down his spine. That was not good. There was a fine line between being to hot and too cold. If he got too cold, he was in danger of hypothermia, and if he got too hot, then he might start to sweat and that would take more heat from his body.

When he stood on the snow, his boots only sunk down just shy of his knees. There was a strong base, but with too much new snow, that could all disappear, and he would have to wade through the snow. And by the look of how much snow that was falling, that could happen fast.

A bigger problem yet… Marine patrols. It would be hard enough going two days without food or water. If he got caught, then he would have to start again. The worst would be if he got caught half way through or past half way through his timeline.

The black vulpine in white armor took a few steps forward. He didn't have a plan. But, he knew that he had to do one thing. Syxx had to survive, and to him that was a relief. He didn't have to baby anyone.

He was even prepared for Kyla not to come back. If she couldn't survive, that was too bad for her. And something told him, that Pyro wasn't walking back from this. That was ok; it just meant more leg room in the class.

The only thing he had left to think about was his strange dream. His dismissed it, with one thought. He growled to himself. He pulled the receiver of the weapon back and let it slam forward. The plasma was now polarized.

"I'll never let it go."


	18. Arctic Fox

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XVIII**

**Arctic Fox**

* * *

"_How many times is it gonna take,  
Till someone around you hears what you say?  
You've tried being cool,  
You feel like a lie,  
You've played by their rules,  
Now it's their turn to try,_

_So back off your rules,  
Back off your jive,  
Cause I'm sick of not living to stay alive,  
Leave me alone,  
Not asking a lot,  
I just don't wanna be controlled,_

_That's all I want,  
All I want,"_

**THE OFFSPRING – **_**"All I Want"**_

* * *

The whistling of the winds on the surface of Fachina seemed to never come to a halt. Though it had stopped snowing just a little after darkness had fallen over the snowy, wasteland, the temperature had compensated by dropping another fifteen degrees; making it nearly minus forty. The night was still young… the temperatures would drop easily another ten below or if the fox was unlucky it would get lower then fifty.

Syxx had turned the Siege armoring off long ago, and had built himself a cave in a drift of snow that had pilled up near a large rock. The communicator read the temperature inside the small and dark negative twenty degrees.

The black fox had used a large piece of solid snow that he had dug up, as a door that covered the top of the hole.

At least the digging with his paws and the butt of the M27 rifle had kept him warm for the hour it took to make the fox hole. Though the temperature inside the fort was a bakery compared to outside, he could feel a sharp shiver fall down his neck and drip down his spine.

His limbs and torso weren't shivering yet though. He was still warm, curled in his little ball. His spine ached from being in the position. It had its own genre of torture to it. Not just physically, but mentally. Being secluded, being hunted, and yet forgotten all at the same time.

The snow made very good insulation, and with his body heat keeping the small hole warm, and an exchange of twenty degrees warmer. It was more then worth it.

He had been sitting in the cave for hours. He thought he had fallen asleep once, but he wasn't sure. He had been checking his mission clock every few hours, just to see how long he had left, and to waste the miniscule amount of time it took to check.

Syxx looked up at the door of the cave. He knew he might have chosen a bad place. The patrols could be attracted to looking in and around large banks of snow.

He felt stiff from lying in a ball for the past eight hours. The vulpine slowly got up. He brought himself to his knees, and moved his paws out in front of him to slide the huge brick of snow off the top of the hole.

The black fox in white armoring crawled to the small exit and slowly poked his head out of the hole. He felt a dramatic temperature change, and strong wind blow into his face, making small crystals of already fallen and whirling snow burn into his fur and sting into his eyes.

He managed to smile. The blowing snow had completely covered his tracks, and made the tundra flawlessly flat with the exceptions of low rolling drifts.

He lifted his head farther out of snow. Since the blizzard had stopped with the exception of the wind, he could now see all around him. His location was actually at the top of a low hill that looked down over the barren tundra.

The sky was poke-a-dotted with thousands of stars. The black sky crawled with waves of blue, silver and yellow streams of Northern Lights.

He remembered when he had taken the Climate Control Center. When the storm had cleared then, he had also seen them. They were so beautiful.

The stars and twin moons of the planet had the whole wasteland illuminated. And in the distance, he could see a light moving across the flats. He knew it must have been a patrol. Yet, he still wasn't worried, because they were not moving toward him. Not yet.

The dark fox watched for hours. From his distance, all he could see was the light that bounced up and down as it ran through the tundra. He figured that it must have been a vehicle, because on the speed it moved at and the snow it kicked up.

No one would be crazy enough to tread this wasteland at this time. It was dark and the temperature was still falling, and falling fast. If there was no sign of shelter, the victim would be dead in with the hour.

Syxx wondered if any Slayers had been caught in the open, and who could possibly be already dead. He was prepared to face it.

He watched for a good portion of the night. It seemed that each hour, on the hour, the light would bounce down the same path. They must have had a route of some kind developed.

One time, the vehicle stopped. Syxx was still unworried. He knew he was too far away to be spotted that easily, unless they had infrared vision. But he had built a wall of snow around him to shield him from the wind, and also from sight for the most part.

The lights on the vehicle turned off. Of course, the vulpine couldn't hear anything because of the whistling winds. Above the blowing snow that danced across the tundra he could see three our four much smaller figures next to a large one. But it was hard to tell at his distance.

Then a trio of small flashes of yellow light bolted in the opposite direction of Syxx. The distant muffled reports of plasma reverberated through the cold atmosphere, even over the sound of the whistling wind.

He watched attentively, both ears twitched as the wind shrieked over and through them. He knew that the Marine patrols had located a Slayer. He wasn't sure if he or she got away or not, but after another moment, the vehicle started up again and drove off down the designated path.

The vulpine glanced down at his wrist. It was already 0306 hours at this point. And the temperature had dropped down to negative forty-eight degrees Celsius. His fur helped keep him warm, and so did the deactivated armor, but if got caught in the open, he would be good as gone. With the wind chill factor it was probably nearly minus sixty or even seventy.

The fox retreated back into his hole, after securing the door shut. Once again he was in total darkness. But he was tired. He already feared that he was freezing to death. That's was freezing to death was.

The vulpine pressed a button on the communicator. The armor activated:

_Attention: Mark V Siege Marine Corps Armor Activated  
__WARNING: Extreme Climate (-43 Degrees)__  
Attention: Armor Battery at 97  
Attention: Life Assist Systems (8 hours)_

He had left the door open for a long time, and the temperature had dropped. Soon, it would warm up a little at least. Beat sitting outside and dying.

Syxx could feel the sensations of the armor begin to warm him. It felt like heaven had surrounded his body, but his body only. He hadn't realized how cold he had gotten. He gave the armor an hour to warm him up, and then he shut it off, curled up in a ball with his tail tucked in and fell into a cramped sleep. It didn't feel like the temperature in the hole had raised that much by then, though, it probably had.

The whistling of the wind didn't stop once throughout the night. It had its own majesty. It gave him a sense of comfort. His hut in the snow was very warm compared to outside, but at night, he began to get very thirsty. The only thing that he could do was eat the snow, and melt it in his mouth.

It wasn't safe. Eating snow cooled the body down a lot. But, he had to stay hydrated some how. It was the last resort.

The vulpine had a hard time sleeping. But it gave him time to reflect, to reflect on Slayer. They didn't teach anyone anything about this. They just dropped them off an expected them to survive or die. The smartest and the strongest would live, and the weakest would not be fit and die.

Made sense.

The vulpine started to chill and shiver again. He turned the armor on again, but before he was able to shut it off, he drifted into a warm but cramped sleep.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Only cracks of light seeped through the snow. The vulpine's eyes slowly opened to still darkness. He looked at the snow directly in front of his muzzle. The fox listened to the winds whistle across the terrain above. Every once and a while a heavy gust would blow by and threaten to rip off the door of his fox hole.

He lay on his side. Syxx realized his mistake and all he could do was swear at himself for being so foolish.

The fox rolled over to look at his wrist. The battery had read with only ten percent left. That was less then enough to warm him and keep him alive for another forty-five minuets.

"Siege Armoring, off."

The Marine armor system powered down. The armor had limitations and Syxx knew right then and there that he was in real trouble. Without the armor, he questioned his ability to survive another day and night. Without the power of the Siege, it was impossible. He was going to die.

He had many doubts about his position. He thought a Slayer had been caught last night, and that was much too close to his position. If they started to do fire lines and swept the wastes, then surely he would be found.

The powered down armoring gave a reminder:

_Attention: Charge or Replace Battery Very Soon_

The fox spun around. That was good. He could feel all his parts. Everything was still good to go. His muzzle and ears were nearly frozen, but they would pull through with the rest of him. He peeked his head out of the snow again. It was a lot colder outside then it was in.

It was 1100 hours. He had slept in a lot. On the good side, the wind had stopped. But it had started to snow again. And there was another twenty-four to go.

The fox stared down the hill and watched a black dot travel across the snow as it had on every hour.

That was what started the vulpine thinking…

He knew that he would probably not be able to survive another night in the cave. It would get too cold, and he would probably just not wake up. And that would be the end of his story.

Syxx wasn't about to let that happen. He had come too far.

His whole life, he had just been living. Now he was living to stay alive. A different feeling, but it was rewarding.

What he did next was impulsive. He didn't have a plan, and he didn't have an idea of what he was doing.

The black fox smiled, and grabbed the rifle from his hut. The fox waited for the black dot to disappear from his sight. Then, he took off running. If his plan worked, then he wouldn't have to worry about sleeping in the snow again. But if he failed, then surely Syxx would end up dead.

The winds had packed and hardened the top layer of the snow again. It was very tough and easy to make good distance on, very quickly. He didn't even sink into it as far as his ankles. In less then five minuets, of running and after stepping in some deep spots and stumbling into the white, he made it to the tracks that he was seeking.

It was a very well packed, deep imprinted trail. A wide vehicle had been traveling on it, and Syxx even thought it could be a Landmaster tank.

He dismissed it; he didn't care what it was. In but an hour, it would be his. He securely held the butt of the M27 and dug it into the snow. He had a plan now, though not thought through, he wasn't going down without a fight. Surely, he wouldn't survive two more nights if he got captured.

The wind started to pickup again, and the blizzard was reborn, meaner then ever. Syxx smiled and laughed. That was good for him. That was very good. Within a matter of fifteen minuets, it would have his tracks covered.

The hole got deeper, and Syxx dug faster after a little while more of that, he used the rifle to shoot his way into the snow, even though burning balls of plasma struck the compact powder, it still wasn't as effective as digging. He only had a half hour left before the APC would come by again; he needed time for the weather to cover his tracks and for him to get into position.

Soon, he had a shallow, but long hole. He lay down it muzzle first, with the gun to his chest, and tried to cover himself with as much of the snow as possible that he dug out. He was hunkered down the best he could, and to his advantage, the blizzard got even worse yet again. The wind picked up, and quickly covered the vulpine with a thick compacted layer of snow.

In another twenty minuets, the snow had blown over and covered him. The fox just looked like another part of the road.

The snow was uncomfortable, and very cold. He lay with the rifle tucked into his chest, and his tail tucked down between his knees. The white armor helped a lot too. He was invisible with minimal exceptions, and just another part of the track. Of course, the plan wasn't without its risks.

Syxx could feel parts of him to numb. It felt like he had spent hours in the snow. His limbs got colder, even though his arms were tucked in. He still didn't move. He kept a strong sense of what he was doing. His eyes were on the prize only and nothing else.

The snow had packed tightly around him. The only exception he had made was a hole around his muzzle to breathe. His ears were covered with the ever packing powder, but he kept his breathing to a minimum as listened.

All he could hear was the rolling grainy sound of snow and the wind that blew it over him, by just mere centimeters. And soon, his painful attention paid off, he could hear snow packing and the metallic spinning of tracks.

He calmed his heart and took a deep breath of cold air. The fox held the air in his lungs and waited for his moment, though he still didn't exactly have a smooth plan. As he went, it would all come together.

The snow around him started to vibrate, and then rumble. The second he could hear and feel the beast above him, the fox rolled over. All the snow on him departed. When he looked up, all he saw was black.

The vulpine reached his paws up and scratched the gloves at the smooth bottom of the APC. His paws then caught onto a panel. He thought his arms had been pulled from their sockets. When he grabbed the armor, the APC didn't slow down at all.

He smiled and for the first time since, took a breath. The lower half of his body was being drug across the soft snow. He ran and scrambled his heals along the ground in efforts to keep the lower half of his body up to speed. After a short time, he just let his legs drag.

Syxx wasn't sure how far the base was. But that would defiantly be where the APC was headed, and the last place that he would want to be. He had to make the armor stop, or he would have to blast his way in. With his left paw, the fox held onto the panel. With his other, he reached to his chest.

The dark fox grabbed a Plasma Frag Grenade. He pulled the pin on the black gnarled, fist sized grenade. The lever fell off and into the snow. He had five seconds. The fox held it for the fist three, before letting it fall from his paw.

The black frag dropping into the snow, rolled for a half meter then buried itself into the white grind. Syxx knew that he was going to be very close when the frag went off. He braced himself, hoped the grenade had landed far enough away, and prayed the Siege would hold him together if he was too close.

He counted the time in his head. The frag went off right on schedule. A yellow burn of plasma erupted from the snow. Most of the snow was lifted from the base, but some had turned to water, and ever more had vaporized. Long cracks of blue electrical current filled the eruption of snow.

Particles from the bomb flew past Syxx as his teeth rattled from the explosion. The APC rolled for a few more meters, and Syxx watched the tracks on either side of him lock and skid across the snow, soon bringing the beast to a halt.

The rear hatch of the ACP folded down to open. Three Marines ran out with their arms bared. Each of them wore the same armor Syxx did. All white.

"Go! Move!"

"Right Clear!"

"Left! Clear! Orders Staff Sergeant, Sir!?"

"What the h-ll was that? Was that an RPG?"

"I don't know what Sergeant Major Aiello set these guys up with. It could have been."

"Where'd that come from?"

Syxx didn't move. He couldn't act now. Surely he would be captured, if they didn't kill him. His only chance was to wait for them to move away from the APC to investigate. And if not, he always had another grenade. He wished he could just set it on the vehicle, but he needed it to work. The extreme climate was stressing the vehicle and the equipment enough as it was.

"Alright guys. Let's let this one slide. Back in the APC. We'll report it when we get back to HQ. We'll come back out with more Marines next time round and make sure we get a hold of whoever this is."

"Yes Sir."

"Ok Sir."

Syxx growled lightly as the Marines got back into the APC. It was time for a new plan. As soon as the Marines got back into the armor, the fox rapidly turned his body ninety degrees and rolled out from under the armor.

The doors just finished folding up on the rear when he got out from under the tank. The fox jumped to his feet. The APC's engines started to howl and whistle again as dark matter was fed into them. The vulpine held onto the rear and without a sound, jumped on top of the vehicle.

Syxx found himself on the top on a massive green vehicle. It was long, wide, and maybe taller then its own good. Thick green armored plating protected it on all sides. The layout of the armor was basically a rectangular prism with tank tracks, antennas and other equipment and gadgets on the outside that helped navigate. Perhaps being larger then the Landmaster, it had no chance on the fire power scale because of course, it was unarmed. Designed for getting troops in and out of battle, and not fighting them, Syxx was unfamiliar with the APC.

He nearly made the mistake of falling off when the APC began its forward motion. It wasn't another, two minuets, before Syxx primed a grenade and dropped it behind the tank.

A geyser of snow, water and steam burst up from the powder, leaving a crater in the road and stray lines of electricity in the frosty air.

The Marines came out twice as fast this time. But Syxx was ready. He had moved the M27 to his back, and now held the knife in his paw. He grasped the silver blade with his pinky finger nearest the blade instead of his thumb.

Once again, three Marines pilled out. They took a defensive position, the one in the middle stood, and the others on either side kneeled.

Syxx wasn't about to wait again. The howling wind would cover up his sound trace. As silently as he could, he swung down, and into the APC.

The Marines had not even noticed. The muzzles of the Cornerian's weapons searched one hundred and eighty degrees, but only behind the vehicle. They never even saw the Slayer slip into the APC.

"Damn. Anybody see 'em?"

"All I see is a blizzard. He could be anywhere Sir."

"Yeah… or she."

"What do mean _she_?" the Staff Sergeant asked.

"Look, all's I'm sayin' is that, we've already caught a few chicks. I saw them back at the command post. Why couldn't it be?"

"Well, who ever it is can't be far. Rogan, you're with me. Fletcher, get your a-s back in the tank. We'll go out about fifty meters. If we don't see anything by then, we'll turn back. Can't be far, if they're lobbing grenades at us."

"Understood."

"Uh, Yes Sir."

The feline placed the safety on his weapon. He rolled his eyes. He was always the one that stood back from the action. He wanted to help for once. Fletcher moved back into the ACP.

The orange cat sighed and removed his helmet from his head. "How are things going up there Smith?"

The feline stared down at the floor and waited for an answer from the driver. But one never came. He looked to his right. There was a wide square pillar that separated the driver from the troops in the back. You could go around either side of it, to the cab.

The inside of the army vehicle was more then spacious. There was more then enough room to stand up and walk about comfortably. There wasn't quite enough room to navigate a rifle around comfortably and quickly though.

"Smith?" he asked again.

The cat began to get nervous. He was going to yell to his superior officer. But he could barely see him, let alone the sound wouldn't carry that far in this weather. The cat reached down to raise him on the communicator. He then thought better of bothering the Staff Sergeant with little business. He had his own bigger problems.

"Smith?" the feline asked one more time. "What's going on up there?"

The cab was dark. The Marine placed his rifle around his back and replaced it with his side arm. He pointed it upwards, he slowly went around one of the two corners that both led to the cab.

"Corporal Smith?" the Private pointed his weapon into the dark cab.

The Marine activated the flashlight on his communicator. He pointed it into the cab. The back of the Marines head drooped from one side of his seat to the other. The helmet rolled off the dogs head and bounced to the floor, making the feline jump.

"Smith! Come on! Stop f-ck-n' with me!"

The Marine stepped closer. He noticed a pool of a red liquid on the floor and armrest; it steamed as the cool air rushed in from the back. Fletcher's eyes went as wide as they could. He spun around ready to pull the trigger but, to be too late.

The feline had time to spin his whole body around. The final promo that went through his mind was a gold shimmer in darkness from his light. Some one in black armor thrust his paw sideways, slashing through the air.

Syxx smiled sinisterly. His right paw dashed swiftly to the left. The razor sharp blade did its damage. With one slice, it was all over. He set it right over the armor and across his neck, clean and deep.

The Marine didn't gasp. He didn't stumble. He just died. The feline's body fell back into the consol. It hit the chair and then fell to the floor.

Syxx laughed. "Too easy," he looked down at the two dead bodies in the mere darkness and snarled deep and dark. "I've played by your rules. I thought it might be you're turn to try mine."

The fox let up his handle on the knife. He didn't hold it normally. He held it as if he were to put up his thumb, then the blade would be pointed toward the ground.

The armor had adjusted itself to the blackness, making him more invisible. Syxx threw the dead driver out of the chair and let him lay on the floor next to his friend. The fox grabbed each one by forearm and tossed them out of the vehicle.

He hit the button next to the door and the hatch folded shut. The bluish-white lights in the troop bay lit up as the black fox commanded.

On the outside of the vehicle the two remaining Marines had just gotten back from their short patrol. One looked to the ground, where the snow grew red around the bodies. Both bodies had eyes wide open.

"What the h-ll is going on?"

"Their dead Sir."

"Their dead!? They can't be dead!!"

The hound lifted his paw from the neck of the feline after observing the wounds closer. His glove was covered in blood already. He placed a paw on the handle of the door, but it didn't budge at all.

Without warning the APC's engines came to life. The tracks dug into the snow, and ACP took off. It rammed off the path that had been plowed and made its own trail through the grainy powder.

The Marine's took a knee once again. "Open fire!" the Staff Sergeant barked.

"Firing!" the other Marine locked up the weapon.

Burning balls of plasma shot out of the muzzle of the weapons. They vaporized the flakes of snow that they came into contact with. Each ball that blasted against the amore was less the futile.

"Frag! Out!" the lab bellowed.

The lower classed Marine primed a grenade and tossed it threw the air. It bounced off the armor of the green ACP. It fell into the snow and exploded shortly after contact, and rebounding off. The heat was enough to soften the metal armor of the tracked vehicle, but it quickly cooled and little to no damage had been done.

A plume of snow burst up from the side of the ACP where the grenade had landed. It blinded the camera for a moment. Syxx pressed the pedal down harder. He listened to the dark matter fed engines whine louder, as they put out more horse power.

The lugged tracks sent a torrent of snow around them. The APC pointed back the way it had come and it took off down the road. It soon disappeared into the blizzard.

"Rogan?"

The black lab was shocked. "Err, Staff Sergeant?"

"Raise Command." He squinted as a hard gust of wind blew flakes of snow into his eyes.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Just tell them something. I don't care!"

"Understood Sir." The Marine looked down on his communicator. "Command this is CSMC patrol squad Red-Two. Do you copy?"

A moment passed before the reply came. "Affirmative Red-Two. What is you're status?"

The Marine pressed the button on the communicator; he opened his mouth, and remained speechless for a moment. He took a deep breath and said. "We are stranded on the northern patrol route, twenty kilometers north of HQ. Request pickup."

"Roger, a team of mechanics are standing by."

"No… forget the mechanics."

"Red-Two we understand you are having problems with you're vehicle. Please confirm."

"Negative Control. A… a Slayer has commandeered our transport. Two Marines are KIA."

"Say again Marine!? Killed in action!?"

"Affirmative Ma'am. Both deep wounds to the neck. Both done by a knife. Looks real clean."

"I – it's… understood Red Team. ACP inbound for pick up. If the weather lightens up, the CFF Renegades will take down the Slayer."

"Affirmative. Standing by for pick up."

"Better hunker down Marines. Could be a little while. The weather has cut down troop movement; orders at the Climate Control Center are to keep up the blizzard. If any Slayers walk home from this, they'll have it made."

"Understood Control. Make it quick as possible. Out."

The pair of Marine's looked into the blizzard. They were surrounded by walls of nearly horizontal airborne white flakes of snow and howling, biting winds that dropped the temperature farther.

Syxx leaned back into the comfy seat of the green vehicle. The next twenty-four hours of survival would be a piece of cake. He filled a canteen with water, and dug into some rations.

The ACP turned off the path. Snow blazed up over the cameras that let the driver see outside. He could only see for moments at a time, but the snow was no match for the brute force of the tracked vehicle.

Syxx was going to remember this day forever. They day he took two lives with ease and with the majestic silver bladed weapon. The knife was sharp, it was clean, and the most important thing was that it was deadly and silent.

Yes, he wasn't going to forget this day. It was the day that the knife became Syxx's favorite tool, and his favored weapon of choice, over _Fox's_ Blaster.

The black vulpine smiled again. To his surprise, he found himself already board. Maybe _Fox_ would have been ashamed, but he wasn't. He was neither ashamed nor proud of what he had done. It was just another day on the job.

The fox eased the seat back, and turned up the heat.


	19. It's Just a Game

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XIX**

**It's Just a Game**

* * *

"_Anger and agony,  
Are better than misery,  
Trust me I've got a plan,  
When the lights go off you will understand,_

_Pain, without love,  
Pain, can't get enough,  
Pain, I like it rough,  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all,  
Pain, without love,  
Pain, can't get enough,  
Pain, I like it rough,  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing,  
Rather feel pain,"_

**THREE DAYS GRACE** _**– "Pain"**_

* * *

"Roger that Sir. We are at the given location of Six Six Syxx. Confirm Sergeant Major, the position is atop a _Gilas ACP_ right now?"

The husky nodded. "Strange, we've got a strong hit on the tracker. This is where he his. Set us down Lieutenant."

"Copy that Sir. Freda-One inbound for pick up on the first Slayer."

The Savage was a curved triangular shaped ship. From the top, it looked like a stealth bomber, except how the nose was a curved, slender corner of the triangle. A huge silvery wing span gave the ship more lift then it needed. The bottom of the dropship told a different story though. A bloated blue belly contained its troops and supplies. The thrusters on either ends of the long wings angled toward the ground, letting it slowly come to a stop in mid air. Then, the pilot eased up on the throttle and held it nearly perfectly steady despite the howling winds of Fachina.

Syxx watched as the time on his mission clock dwindle away. When it had read for less then one minuet left, he would hear a whining sound outside the safe walls of the armored vehicle that he had commandeered from the Cornerian Military.

He leaned forward in the chair, and swung his boots back to the floor. He feared that it was a search party that had found him for a moment, so he restocked his supplies. On the belt of the now black armor, he had placed two more grenades, rations, a canteen, as well as replacing the battery in the Siege he had grabbed an extra two batteries, and two more plasma batteries for the rifle. He was ready for a war again.

The door of the APC slowly swung down letting in a huge rush of cold air. Syxx had forgotten how cold it was. The armor read it a bitter negative forty-four degrees with the wind chill factor. At night, it would have been worse, and honestly, the fox didn't expect to see many faces again. He could barely see where the Savage had nearly touched down. A massive torrent of snow had encircled it, and rushed toward him, freezing the fox.

The black vulpine leaped out of the APC and waded through the waist deep snow, toward the Savage. A paw reached down out of the rear of the ship. "Congratulations Syxx. Guess you aren't all talk after all. You move onto the next stage of Project Slayer. Get it, _son_."

The fox grinned, shallowly and locked his paw onto the larger husky's. The Sergeant Major hoisted him up into the rear of the ship. Syxx took a seat in the same place that he had sat before the Sergeant had tossed him out of the craft.

Jeff spoke into a microphone that wrapped around and into his ear. "Slayer Six Six Syxx retrieved. You are clear to move on." He then looked at the fox, the only Slayer aboard. "I don't know how you ended up with that number and you're name fitting into it so well. The one of the beast, huh?"

Syxx just hummed a short, "_Mmm_," in reply. He didn't look at the Sergeant Major, and preferred to stare out the open ramp of the Savage.

The pilot's reply came immediately after. "Affirmative Sergeant. Freda-One moving onto Slayer Zero Three Carmen."

Through the next two hours, the dropship moved back and forth across the tundra. It picked up the Slayers whose clocks had reached zero. The inside of the ship was very cold, but Syxx had resupplied his batteries. He was perfectly comfortable, and the Sergeant in the green cammo didn't seem to mind the bitter cold as long as he didn't have to stick around for much longer then a few hours.

The ship began to lower once again. The Sergeant major jumped out of the ship, only to soon come back shaking his head. "Slayer Seven Eight Dane. KIA."

"Understood Sir. Freda-One moving to position of Slayer…" the pilot paused. "Three Nine Kyla."

Syxx sighed deeply. Luckily he hadn't got too attached and he never would if he could help it anyways, but now he was just playing his whole life by ear. Kyla was going to be dead, but hey; more room in the barrack for Syxx. The two minuet flight to her position felt like the longest ride he had ever been on. But the fox remained clam, and waited for the inevitable to become reality.

The ship lowered and found a steady position. Syxx let out another deep breath as all he saw out the rear of the ship was a white wall of misty snow and flakes that twisted in the open door of the ship. Then, a profile began to show through the white out. It moved closer, and before long it had found itself a place within the Savage ship.

Each step stung to Kyla, but the ship was here. It was all over, and she had survived. Her arms were crossed tightly in front of her chest, as they tried to keep in all the heat that they possibly could.

The vixen jumped into the ship. Syxx looked up at her as she passed. She didn't look good. He muzzle, ears, and gloves were all covered with a thick layer of frost. Crystals of snow locked themselves onto her eyelashes. She was a mess. When Kyla had taken a spot beside Syxx, he could tell that she hadn't had as easy of time as he had, she shivered nearly uncontrollably. The black vulpine could hear the vixen's teeth chatter over the whining of the engines.

Kyla could barely feel any part of her body. She had lost the feeling in her fingers long ago, and that had seemed to creep up her arms and legs until they lost feeling altogether. The dropship was shelter, and was still better then the one she had, but it was far from warm. Each movement stung her.

Syxx reached across her and grabbed her left wrist making the vixen yelp in pain as her cold limb was moved. If she had all her energy and senses, she probably would have struck him hard enough to knock the vulpine's skull in. But she didn't have the energy or capability, so there was nothing she could do but abide.

The black fox stared down at it to read what it had to say:

_Attention: Extreme Climate  
WARNING: Siege Mark V Armoring Battery Low Replace or Charge Soon  
DANGER: Siege Mark V Armoring Battery Depleted Replace or Charge  
DANGER: Hypothermia Imminent  
EXTREME DANGER: Hypothermia Stage One Reached_

Syxx sighed. He forcefully clutched her left wrist, and twisted it. He brought her wrist across her body closer to him. The little vixen yipped as her stiff and cold limb was twirled. She didn't understand what Syxx was doing, and she began to grow angry with him.

The black fox pressed two clips on edges of the communicator. A long, thick and grey slab fell out and into his paw. He looked over it for a moment, and tossed it out the open hatch of the Savage.

With the same paw, he reached down to his belt. The dark fox unclipped a duplicate item to the one he had just thrown away. He flipped it around is his paw, and slipped it into the empty slot on the red vixens wrist, he slammed it once more to ensure it was correctly placed inside of Kyla's armoring. Syxx turned her arm back to see the data screen of the Siege.

_EXTREME DANGER: Hypothermia Stage One Reached  
Attention: Siege Mark V Battery Replaced  
Attention: Warming User  
Attention: Batteries at 100  
Attention: User will be Ok_

She slowly looked up past the vulpine's black armoring and then into his eyes, now understanding. She never thought that she would see help from Syxx, and she was more the grateful. Her blissful eyes pleaded and thanked him. She whispered something to him, but the dark fox couldn't have understood what she had said without reading her lips. "Thank you."

Syxx nodded slightly and turned his gaze back out the pure white tint of Fachina's wastelands.

Kyla still crossed her arms around her chest, nearly tight as they would go. She started to feel the warmth of the Siege heating systems. Her frozen and brittle bones began to thaw out. Before long, her weak head fell sideways as energy that it took her body to survive had depleted and sleep took her away. Kyla's head _clunked _onto the shoulder of Syxx, and there she fell asleep. Each corner of her mouth curved upward as she smiled.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

The bed was the reward of the mission for the black fox. Though Syxx had been lucky to have successfully overtaken a Marine patrol, and not had to of slept outside the second night, it was still a reward. He noticed the group of Slayers had gotten smaller. Not by much, but it was possible to tell. There were less of them. The group was beginning to be narrowed down to the strongest and the smartest, and Syxx knew that he would be one of them. He wanted to be the best, he wasn't settling for second place. In this line of duty, second place turned out to be death.

"Hey. Syxx." A whisper curled through the air toward Syxx.

His ears fluttered at the statement of his own name. "What is it?"

"Thanks for giving me a helping hand. Maybe you aren't so cold hearted after all."

He wrinkled his nose. "If I wouldn't have stolen and had that extra battery, I wouldn't have helped you at all. So consider yourself lucky, 'cause it won't happen again."

"Hey, just relax alright? I was thanking you."

"If I let that hypothermia go untreated it could have killed you."

The little red vixen smiled to herself. She ran a finger across her lip. "But you didn't."

"So?"

"Well, it makes me think you like me. There were others freezing their tails off on that ship, and you even had another battery, and you used only one to help me."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to see you alive. But, you won't be so lucky next time."

"Syxx? Do you?"

He laughed arrogantly. "I wouldn't get my hopes up on that one. Just worry about keeping your own hide off the skinning board. I might be around to help, but who says I'm going to?"

"Well, one day I'll return the favor. Someday, you're going to need a hand."

"Unlikely."

"Don't tell me, that you've never needed help. You must have been part of a team at some point."

The wrong thing to say to Syxx. He sighed deeply and clenched his teeth, soon being lost in his own world of a mind. After seeing Falco, the one thing he could think of was betrayal. He left him, to go and start his own group, even after he welcomed him as a member for so many years, and took him back. Fox was just forgotten. It was part of the reason that he died too.

"Syxx?"

He shook his head, not knowing how long he had zoned out for.

Kyla had pieced some vague parts of the black fox's background together with their little talk on the rooftop, but she still knew very little about him. His soul was strong, but it seemed like it had fallen at some point. She still wondered what he would have been like before she met him.

The vixen swallowed hard. "Syxx?" she asked again.

He spoke to her in a dark baritone pitch. He made it quick and to the point. "I've been on my own my whole life. I have never needed a team. I've never had anyone. I've never needed anyone. Clear?"

"That contradicts what you told me on the rooftop, and that tale is a little more convincing then the one you just fed me. Why do you keep changing your story?"

The black fox snapped back. "My history is my business! The less you know about me, the better! And besides, why does it matter what my story is!? Is it going to change anything here!? If you're so hooked on my little chronicle, let hear some of yours huh!?"

Syxx waited in the silence. Though every story was defiantly interesting, Slayers all had shameful histories for the most part. The vulpine knew this, and he knew it would shut the nosy little vixen up too. He passed the time, still building on the other fox's shame and suspense.

He laughed after a little while longer. "No. I didn't think so. It hurts doesn't it? Is that going to shut you up?"

"Why are so angry all the time?"

"I've seen it all, and I've lived it all. And I can tell you without a doubt, that anger and agony are both better then misery."

"So something like that must have been what put you in jail? Or, were you a Marine, or a pilot before?"

"No. I was never a Marine."

"A pilot then. You had to have been. Where did you get so good?"

"Let's just say, I learned from the best. The very best in the whole galaxy, and let's leave it at that. I'd rather not talk about it."

The red fox thought back to all she had learned from Syxx. "Starfox…" she trailed away

He growled. "Why are you so hooked on knowing me?"

"This may sound a little childish, but I find your behavior quite interesting. I want to know what makes you do the things you do, act the way you act. What makes you tick Syxx? What does it have to do with Starfox?"

"It has nothing to do with Starfox alright? They're just people I've never liked."

"Why?"

"It's all just a game Kyla."

"It's just a game for you? Do you think this is just a big joke? That Slayer means nothing!? Slayer is my life!! Slayer is all I have!! I just wanted a little more for once in my life!!"

The dark fox rolled his eyes. He clamped his mouth securely shut, and watched the darkness in front of him for a moment. The fox took a silent sigh, and closed his eyes. He ended his conversation with the little vixen.

After waiting for a moment in the silence, she pouted. "You're so arrogant."

"Talk to the walls. I'm going to sleep."

"Come on. I – I'm sorry; I didn't mean to flip on you like that. I just wanted to get to know you more."

"My story is long and it's boring. You don't want to hear it."

"_I_ don't want to hear it, or _you_ don't want to tell it? I know, what happened. You lost someone. You lost someone very close to you. I don't know if I can say I know just how that feels. I've never been able to get that close to anyone before. I guess I just want to be, before I die." She laughed dryly. "And with my profession it seems like that could happen any day now. I just wanted someone for once in my life."

"I don't know what to say Kyla."

"You don't have to say anything. I know who you are. You're last relationship really must have wrecked you. You'll change soon. I know that you like me now, and that's more then a start."

"You're just going to have to let it go." He whispered the last part thinking the smaller fox wouldn't catch it. "Like I never could. Like I never will."

The vixen's ears twitched. "What was that? What did you say?"

The fox turned his head over. He nuzzled his muzzle on the side of the pillow. "Nothing."

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

"The effective range of Plasma Beam Sniper Rifle is about two thousand meters. After this the lazar seems to dissipate and fade into the air. This weapon isn't always tactically sound because of the tracer that is emitted from the barrel. So you have to be careful when using this rifle in covert situations. Cause you're going to have to remember, that tracers work both ways."

Paul Ramirez stood in front of the class of Slayers once again. The class size had become smaller. It had been scaled down from the large one, from about a dozen people. It left some tables near the back of the room unfilled.

Pyro was slowly falling asleep at his desk. His head propped on his wrist slowly let his skull droop farther towards the table, as his face stretched.

"Pyro!!" The raccoon at the front of the room shouted.

The Slayer jolted his head up off the table and snapped. "I didn't do it."

Syxx smiled toward the raccoon, when the clear door opened. A young army man whispered to the superior in the room. The head raccoon nodded and then turned his head to the all the Slayers in the room. Syxx could feel it before it was coming, the Sergeant Major's eyes locked onto him.

"Mister Syxx." He smiled. "Colonel Harper would like to speak to you in his office."

Syxx took a deep sigh before swinging himself forward out of his chair. He wagged his black, white tipped tail when he left the room. When he came to the door that was his destination, he didn't knock, he just walked in.

A middle aged orange cat looked up from his paper work as the blackened vulpine entered the room. A large husky in a formal black Marine uniform stood up, before the feline raised a paw, bringing him back to his seat. The husky crossed one leg over the other, and folded his arms as he sat back down his chair, as if he was sulking.

"Good afternoon Slayer," said the feline with a smile.

Syxx stepped into the room farther. He tilted his head and smiled at the Sergeant Major in triumph.

"Please, Mister Syxx. Take a seat."

The fox looked at the chair. "I'd prefer to stand... Sir."

"Very well."

The vulpine grinned. "So Colonel Harper, I haven't seen your sorry hide since the day you convinced me that the path of a Slayer was the one. What have been up to?"

The feline looked up from his papers to the vulpine. "I've been trying _really_ hard to get you the equipment and resources you need to do what you do."

"Good. That's the way it should be," remarked the fox.

The three all sat in the silence for what felt like a long time. The feline flipped through papers, ignoring Syxx for the time being.

Syxx soon got impatient. "So what have you got me here for? If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my training, and out of Aiello's mug here."

The Marine Sergeant opened his mouth, ready to say something but was once again wooed by the sight of the Colonels paw. "This meeting is regarding your last training mission."

"On Fachina? Yeah what about it?"

The Marine Sergeant Jeff Aiello finally snapped. "You stole a Gilas APC! And you…"

The Colonel silenced him again. "Syxx it appears that you used assassination tactics on the surface of Fachina to complete your primary objective. We would like to confirm that this is true."

"Yeah, it is. So what?" The fox asked.

"So what!?" The husky flipped. "One Gilas ACP lost and out of commission, and not to mention two Marines dead. Both assassinated. You…"

The fox turned his head to the Marine and growled deeply. He put emphasis on each word. "_I_ completed my mission, _Sergeant_."

"Two lives lost Syxx!! Do you want to be the one that tells the family about the _freak accident_!?"

The vulpine smiled viciously. "Call 'em up."

"That's enough you two," said the feline.

Syxx huffed. "I did as I was told. I survived and completed my mission. If that be at the cost of other lives, so be it. If you're trying to kill me, then I'm gonna' kill whoever is in my way to survive, and to complete my mission."

Colonel Harper scratched the goateed fur on his chin. He slowly began to nod. "Very well Mister Syxx. That'll be all."

The fox bobbed his head once and stepped toward the door. Syxx stood there with his back to the two officers. "Oh, and Serg. We're even."

"What?"

"Do you recall throwing me out of an airborne Savage?" With that Syxx walked out of the room.

When the door closed, the Marine went on a verbal rampage. "Sir, with all due respect, this is not what I signed up for. He's a complete brute. He's got absolutely no regard for rules and others around him. He abuses his privileges and is disrespectful and a disgrace toward the Cornerian Military as a whole. He's…"

Harper finished his sentence. "…he's perfect."

"What!?"

"This is exactly what I've been looking for. He only has one objective in mind, and that is to complete his mission. If you haven't already noticed Master Sergeant, Slayer isn't exactly a conventional program. Surely, a Slayer is no disgrace to the Military. Sometimes you have to sacrifice the few, to save the many, and that's what we'll be doing." He paused. "I'm prolonging the Slayer's training. I want them hardened for a least two more years. I want the nearly invincible."

"Sir? Seven months to two years?"

"That's correct."

"Colonel, we can have Marines hardened and in the field in eight weeks, infantry men, in less then four."

"And that's why we are sacrificing so many. An average Marine cannot carry out even the most simplistic special force act."

"Which is what the Special Forces are-"

"A Slayer will be able to do all of that alone, but, it will all be hidden form the public. No one will know what is going on. Slayers are the silent key to peace in the Lylat System."

"I… understood… Sir."

Meanwhile, Syxx walked back to the room. When he opened the door, everyone looked at him. He smiled ever so slightly, and then growled silently as he saw someone sitting in his seat. The black fox perished the thought and took a seat beside the new face that had taken a seat near him.

A grey feline with a long tuft of head fur that nearly drooped down over his eyes sat next to the vulpine. His grey fur seemed to be silvery on the threads. When he looked down, his hair would be just enough to cover his eyes. "So you're Syxx."

The vulpine looked at him. "What's it to you?"

The feline put his paw out. "I'm _Cobalt._"

The vulpine looked down at the young man's paw, then back up at him. He reached his paw out and gave it a quick hard shake. "Syxx. I guess you'd already know that."

"Yeah, and I wanted to get to know you a little better."

"You want to know me better? What is up everyone's obsession with me?"

"I don't follow."

"_Hpm_… never mind.I've heard that my attitude can be a little hostile at times."

"Huh. I tell you one thing, is, I don't want you're attitude, but I heard about you're training mission on Fachina. I don't know if I would have had the guts to do what you did, but congrats for pulling it off. I just stayed in my hole."

Syxx smiled at him, revealing the golden tooth. "What's so bad about my attitude?"

"Nothing if you want everyone to fear you."

"And you don't?"

"H-ll no. You're just another Slayer. You're just like me, you're just like…" Cobalt looked up a few rows of seats to see Pyro trying to balance a pencil across his nose. His tongue lulled out of his mouth as he tried to concentrate. Cobalt chuckled. "Well, you're no Pyro that's for sure."

"Yeah, he is quite the _unique_ individual isn't he?"

The raccoon at the front of the room snapped his fingers. "Hey, Syxx, Cobalt? Try to stay with me here. Or I can arrange for an extra credit assignment, and I'm pretty sure that you boys do enough running around the base already. How would you like doing it with bags full of sand?"

Syxx yawned. "Been there, done that."

Pyro spoke out still trying to balance the pencil on his nose. "I can back Syxx up for that, I was right there with him."

"Ok… just try to stay focused, alright?"

"I'll do what I can." Syxx replied ending with a smile. "No promises."

From the middle of the room a young raccoon yipped out in triumph. "I did it!"


	20. Two of A Kind

Author's Note: I'm out until about the 9th of august. Whistler BC for mountain bike freeride competitions.  
Wish me luck,  
and,

Keep it Open,  
SyxxFox

* * *

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XX**

**Two of A Kind**

* * *

"_She walked out today,  
Now she just turns me away,  
Now all I've said and all I've done,  
Was just a waste of time,_

_Say it's not true,  
It's so much more then I can handle,  
Say it's not true,  
Or this is my end,_

_And now I brought my Battlecase,  
I'm in a war with all your disgrace,  
You're just a whore obsessed with your face,  
And I'll I've said to you,  
And all we have done was a waste,_

_And it was all a waste,_

_How am I supposed to wipe you out?  
How am I supposed to love again?  
How am I supposed to feel no pain?  
There's so much pain to feel,  
How am I supposed to come back down,  
When you threw me so far away?"_

**BLACKLINE **_**– "Battlecase"**_

* * *

"F-Fox?"

The red vulpine punched both sticks of the agile blue Arwing forward. His back pushed into the seat as more fuel was fed into the motors. "Krystal?"

The vixen pushed her Cloudrunner to catch up to the fox. The ships skimmed over the surface of the planet, both headed toward the same target on their radar. Both of them wanting the kill just as much as the other, but yet something so much more was going on between the two.

The vixen snarled. "Back off Fox! I can take care of myself!"

"Krystal! Wait!"

"What have you come here for? Why are you patronizing me?"

"Just wait! Krystal, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to treat you that way. What I did was wrong. I didn't mean to-"

The little blue vixen cut him off. She laughed sarcastically. "You're sorry?"

"I realize I was wrong now. I never should have pushed you away."

"All of this you don't realize until now Fox!?

"Please… don't… Krystal, I need you're help now more then ever. Please."

She smiled. "I'm sorry Fox. I'm a part of Starwolf now. I can't help you."

"Please Krystal. Forgive me."

"No. I can't forgive you."

"Krystal, don't turn me away. I don't want all I've said and all we've done to be a waste of time. I can't handle that. How am I supposed to wipe you out? I can't do this alone."

"Enough Fox. There's nothing I can do for you now. I'm sorry, but you are on your own."

The red vulpine pleaded, tears burning into his eyes and little did he know; Krystal's were the same way. "Krystal Please!"

The little vixen tried to stop herself from crying. She pulled away from the chase, looking down at the control consol. The fox closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, you broke my heart."

"_I'm sorry, you broke my heart._"

"_I'm sorry, you broke my heart._"

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Syxx's eyes flashed open. He whispered a short. "No."

"You alright there Syxx?"

He growled. The vulpine was upset with his mind. Most nights he didn't dream at all, but every once and a while his mind chose to screw with him a little. "Go to sleep Kyla."

"It's kinda hard to sleep, when the guy in the next bed over is rolling around, and whimpering in his sleep. Nightmares?"

"Just a little bit of past reflections."

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

The Slayers stood strong in the place where they had nearly every morning since the program had started. The sky was a dim blue, and the sun had not yet breached the horizon of the Cornerian sky. As always they were often mistaken for Marines because of their Marine training attire. But these were no Marines and after the last about six or seven weeks of Slayer, these troops were already more hardened and stronger then most the soldiers on the base.

Some Slayers took the program seriously, others were along for the ride and the remaining was the one of a kind, Pyro. He didn't take a lot of things seriously, and his attitude was always enough to pick up things and give everyone a little bit a smile. He didn't appear to be that intelligent, but Syxx had already seen him prove himself in class. There was more then the outside of his goofy exterior. There was a good soldier and an even better warrior.

The army jeep soon drove up, Ramirez hopped out of the backseat and a Rottweiler rocked himself out of the small box in the back of the transport. Syxx didn't exactly know who he was at first, but after thinking back through his short Slayer career, he remembered seeing him at one point.

Sergeant Major Paul Ramirez grinned. "Good morning Slayers. Before breakfast today, we'll be marching over to the gym before the Marines get there. Master Chief Nathan Parks will be beginning your first day of hand to hand combative instruction. Even, though many of you probably think you know what you're doing, the Chief is one of the best in the military."

The Rottweiler in the formal bleach white uniform nodded. "That's right."

Ramirez paused for a moment, then he unlatched the tailgate of the silver tired army jeep and the two Non Commissioned officers sat down. "Oh, did I say march? I meant run, of course." The tires of the vehicle screeched and the vehicle started to move down the road. "Hump it out Slayers! Move! Only three clicks! Keep up!"

Everyone started running at the same time. The three ranks that the Slayers were situated in broke apart. The day started yet again, but the run didn't feel as long this morning and the only reason Syxx could have thought of was that perhaps the weaker had died and the remaining were faster and stronger, and that was enough to propel the whole group faster. They were selected as the strongest, and the most likely to take risks, and that was getting narrowed down even more.

Soon, they came to the outside of a very large building. The Slayers were instructed to enter, and they did as they were told. They entered a room paved with hardwood flooring, silvery walls and eight basketball nets that encircled room. Instead of being empty, the room had ten raised red mats with ropes around them.

Pyro's ears drooped. "I hate gym class." The next second his ears popped up and he smiled, laughing.

The Rottweiler stood in front of the eighty six remaining Slayers. "I'm Master Chief Petty Officer Nathan Parks. I teach hand to hand combat to Corneria's Military attachments. Spread yourself out among these mats; show me what you've got. Partner up with you're roommate, and if you're roommate is dead, that's too bad. Find someone who is about the same size as you."

"What about equipment?" A Slayer asked.

The dark furred dog grinned. "Forget about it."

Syxx made his way to the far corner of the room, Kyla showed up a few seconds later. Another young fox and a cat had already made their way into this ring. Syxx hung around the side, watching the two go at it. They fought fair. The red vulpine had good defense, but not a strong enough offense.

Kyla stepped up beside Syxx. "I thought you'd at least wait for me."

"Hmm… yeah. Funny ol' word isn't it?"

A paw came down on the vulpine's opposite shoulder. "Yo! Syxx!"

The fox's ears fell slightly and he sighed after rolling his eyes. "Hi Pyro."

"What? Not happy to see me?"

"Just wondering how you survived mostly."

"It wasn't as interesting as your story. But, I pulled through. No problem."

"I was kinda' wondering that too Pyro." Cobalt stepped up beside the raccoon, and they stood at the edge of the mat in a line of four. Soon, the two that had been fighting had, had enough and jumped over the rope and off the wrestling mat.

Kyla rolled under the railing and onto the mat. She reached over the three ropes. "Come on Syxx."

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"What wrong? Afraid of a girl?"

The dark fox smiled cruelly. "Terrified."

"Oh come on."

Pyro raised a paw to Kyla. "Wait a second." He then took Syxx aside from the ring. "Ok, I just want you to remember one thing when going in to fight Kyla."

"Pyro this-"

"Just _Shhh!_ And remember, if you beat her up; dude you just beat up a girl! And if you don't beat her up; dude, you just got beat up by a girl. You can't win, no matter what. So, just go in there, and put on a show huh?"

Syxx smirked and pressed his paw into the face of the raccoon. "Come on. Get out of my face!" He walked back toward Kyla who was waiting for him. "Ok, let's do it."

The vixen unbuttoned the dark camouflage jacket, and passed it to Cobalt. The light green and tight army shirt flared the curves of her shapely body. Syxx did the same and gave his jacket to Pyro. He stretched out his back, before moving closer to the ring.

Kyla offered the black fox a paw, but he rejected it and rolled himself under the rope instead. He stood up and took a place at the corner of the ring.

Kyla closed her eyes and put both paws up in front of her and rolled them into knuckles. "Don't go easy on me, alright?" She then opened her eyes and stared directly at Syxx.

The black fox took the same position and flashed his single golden tooth. "Don't worry, I won't. Ummhmm, and what do you say we make this interesting?" Syxx started to move closer.

Kyla began her footwork and started to encircle the vulpine. "Alright, sounds good to me."

"When I win, I want you to stop talking about my history. I want you to leave that part of me alone."

"Alright, I can do that." She smiled knowing what she wanted from the fox, but not saying it until he asked.

"Well, what do you want, in the unlikely event that you win? I don't know what I would have to give to you."

The vixen smiled. "I want a kiss."

Syxx stopped his sidestep for a moment and put down his fists. "What?" He glanced over to see if Cobalt or Pyro were listening. There were not, they were talking to each other.

"You heard me Syxx. If I win, I want _you_ to give _me_ a kiss."

"A kiss? That's it?"

"Take it or leave it Syxx. Just remember this when you're thinking about your past again, and how you could have forgotten it, and left it-"

"Ok deal, and don't forget about it."

"No, I'm pretty sure that I'm never going to forget that kiss." She smiled playfully at him.

Syxx had no idea what Kyla's history was about. He had wondered at some points, but he never asked, nor did he care most of the time. Though Kyla was probably a little more agile and faster to hit then Syxx was... he possessed more strength. If he got in what he needed to, then it would over for her. He didn't want to really hurt her; he just wanted to down her.

Kyla knew from the very beginning that she was going to win. She was fast, faster then Syxx would ever believe. It would be over before he even got to throw a punch or think about getting her into a hold. But Kyla wasn't going for a hold she was going to bring him down. Syxx had respect for her, but she had decided that she wanted more from him. And, she _really_ wanted that kiss.

Syxx put a paw forward and wormed his fingers. "Bring it."

Kyla knew that she had to be fast enough. She jumped forward into the range of the vulpine's punches. He swung at her left, and right but she got out of the way for each and every hit. She ducked, and dodged away from the brute force of the other fox. She didn't want to seriously hurt him. She just wanted to show him up.

She waited longer, still not attacking. She _X'd _her forearms in front of her to block a throw directed toward her face. She jumped back before the black fox's other knuckle could pound into her stomach, her body _U'd _as the swing passed right by were she had been a moment ago. She laughed from her throat sinisterly as she jumped back and out of the way.

Syxx was starting to get angry. All his energy was being put to waste as he swung it into the air. After his last hook through the air, Kyla grabbed his wrist. The vulpine didn't see it coming. He had no idea if he had been flipped through the air or he had been knocked so hard, he hit the ground. But, here he was now, on the mat staring at the ceiling.

The fox's eyes were wide and he lay motionless. He slowly moaned. "Ouuuch."

The next thing that he saw was Kyla's face in front of his. She pressed her forearm firmly against his neck. He could feel the pressure, but it wasn't enough to hurt him yet. She had placed the thumb of her other hand on a soft part of his neck just above his collarbone.

Syxx's arms were spread out on either side of him. The vixen was leaving herself completely open. The dark fox moved his right arm ever so slightly, and the vixen pressed her right forearm into his esophagus and pushed a thumb into his neck. "Easy Syxx."

"Aughh!" Syxx growled in pain.

Air rushed out of his lungs and scraped across the back of his throat. His ears bent back and his teeth bore, trying to make himself look fierce. Both paws jolted across to Kyla's arms to try and pull them back from his neck, but she was leaning into him, and pressing her weight against his neck. The way she had him pinned him, there was no means to pull her away. He could see his vision start to fade on the edges. His breathing became heavy and erratic.

Kyla laughed right in front of his muzzle. "Give up?" her nose nearly touched his.

Through his irregular deep breathing, he managed to slip out, "No."

"Then you're stubborn." She whispered. That just caused her to push her paws into his neck harder. She knew if she continued to do this, it was possible to kill him, she tightened her grip leaned down and whispered into his ear. He could feel her warm breath. "I win."

She backed off from the fox. He rolled over on the floor, with his stomach now on the mat. He blinked hard, trying to get the full extent of his vision back and held both paws around his throat. "G-d f-ck-ng d-mn."

Syxx rolled over after another moment to see Pyro's and Cobalt's wide eyes. Cobalt, the grey feline's jaw dropped a little but spread across Pyro's was an open mouthed smile.

The raccoon raised his paws over his head. "Syxx! Dude! You just got beat up by a girl!"

The fox then looked up to Kyla and she smiled down at him. "You owe me Syxx."

The fox stared up at her, with new respect, and a new feeling for Kyla. He knew now, she was strong enough to take care of herself and then some. Kyla was strong and smart. Both of which, Syxx didn't think she had as much as she had shown until now. He nodded and panted out. "I don't suppose I can write an IOU can I?"

She smiled and laughed at him. She put her hands on the hips of her buxom body. "I thought you might say something like that. So what does it feel like to get beat up by a girl?"

Syxx brought himself to his feet, "Nothing that hasn't happened to me before."

The pair walked to the edge of the mat and both rolled themselves over the rope landing at the exact same moment.

Syxx took his jacket out of Pyro's paw and didn't put it on, but draped it over his shoulders. Syxx had gotten quite the short workout, while Kyla had barely even broken sweat. And it was true; Syxx had found new respect for Kyla. It was one thing to shoot a gun straight, but to beat him at his own game, that was worth some respect. She was trained well, which got Syxx to thinking that she must have been a part of some military group.

She smiled at him playfully.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

"Hey, Cobalt, look at this."

Pyro turned up the TV in the Slayer's common room at the base of the barrack. A pink female cat sat at the desk of the news room. In the corner of the screen, a picture of Fichina came up.

"Earlier this week, two members of the CSMC or the Corneria Space Marine Corps were killed in an accident on a routine training mission on the surface of Fichina. The vehicle that they were training with broke down in the middle of a simulated blizzard. The climate control center malfunctioned, and before the squad of four Marines was found, two had already been listed in critical condition. They passed away on the planets surface, while the other two in the patrol are listed in critical yet, stable condition. Their names have not been released. In other news…"

The cat shook his head and brushed the silvery hair out of his eyes. "Fourteen Slayers died on the surface of that god forsaken planet, and they have nothing to say about that now, do they?"

Pyro clicked down a few notches on the TV to turn down the volume. "That was no accident either." The raccoon looked to the door that led into the large room, Syxx stood there for a moment and stepped in. "Ah, speak of the devil." He watched as Kyla followed shortly behind him, "_Oohpe_, make that devils."

Syxx sat down on the sofa, spreading himself across it. "I'm sorry." He looked toward Pyro, flashing his gold tooth and knowing just how to make it gleam viciously. "They got in my way."

Kyla's ears perked up. "Remember our little bet Syxx?"

He put his elbow on the sofa, and leaned his jaw onto his paw. "Did I not write out a note to you or something?"

"What in h-ll are you guys talking about?" Pyro asked.

The vixen's cheeks heated. "Nothing Pyro."

"What ever."

The vixen smiled. She knew just how to under the fox's fur. "So, Syxx I was wondering why you hate Starfox so…"

The fox growled at her. He got up off the couch and left the room. She could tell that behind his lips was a clamped jaw and clenched teeth. She felt disappointed, and guilty for maybe going too far with the thoughts of the fox.

She jumped out of her seat and out the door after the larger black vulpine. "Wait! Syxx! I'm sorry!"

Cobalt watched the two Slayers exit the room once again. "Is there something going on between those two?"

"That's kinda what I thought."

The cat looked at the raccoon with a cocked head. "You _thought_?"

He shook his head still stared at the flickering TV screen. "I just chose to stop thinking."

Kyla ran down the halls to talk to Syxx. She put a paw on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd react that way. You usually don't take things that seriously. You're not upset with me are you?"

"I just don't want to hear anything about my past ever again, clear? _ Over_."

"I'm sorry. I'll never say anything about that again, on one condition."

"Anything."

'

"Hold up your end of the bet."

Syxx stopped walking. Kyla took a few more clumsy steps forward then back to Syxx. The fox rolled his eyes. He moved toward Kyla and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "There, are you happy?"

"What was that?"

"I'm pretty sure there were no conditions."

"I know you like me Syxx. Why are you fighting it?"

"I'm not fighting anything."

"Is it because I beat you today?"

"No."

"Are you, embarrassed to be around me?"

"No, I'm not."

"Are-"

"Look!" Syxx snapped. "It's because I don't want you to die!"

A shocked look fell about her face and she managed to pant in a giggle. "What?"

"Everyone I've ever loved has died or left on me. I don't want that to happen again. If I love you, then I know I won't be able to see you much longer. I don't even know if we're going to make it through this whole Slayer thing! And, I just don't want it to turn out that way. Not again. Do you know how hard it is to come back down, when you're thrown so far away?"

"I'm – I am so sorry. I – I guess I wasn't thinking, I just was trying to get what I wanted." She smiled out of a corner of her mouth then let it fade. "I guess that was a disappointment for both of us."

He managed to smile a bit. "I guess so."

She smiled at him. "So you do really like me? Do you love me?"

"Love is a strong word."

"That it is, so it is either_ yes_ or it is _no_."

He closed his eyes, opened them again and looked down the long empty hall of the barracks. The dark fox smiled slightly, let it fade, and then nodded so little it was hard to even tell if he did.

A grin ran up her face. "I love you too." She moved closer to him, and gave him a kiss on the lips. Though it was pretty short, it was worth it for her. She could tell that he kissed back too, and for that short moment, she found herself out of breath. "Look, we both got what we wanted. It'll be our little secret. I'll never die on you, as long as you don't die on me."

He nodded. "Yeah. I can understand that now."


	21. Dark Fox

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXI**

**Dark Fox**

* * *

"_Like a whisper to the dusk,__  
An oath against the shadows,  
Denying the dark,  
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT 'til the break of dawn,  
_

_Like a prayer unto the dawn,  
__In arms against the shadows,  
Destroying the dark,  
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT 'til the break of dawn,  
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT 'til the break of dawn,_

_We'll fight our battles,  
We'll wage our wars,  
Settle the score with honor and blood,  
We'll wear our scars like medals of hope,  
LIKE MEDALS OF HOPE, LIKE MEDALS OF HOPE"_

**ATREYU **_**– "Honor"**_

* * *

Syxx could have sworn he just went to sleep, when a loud noise started to fill the room. For a while, his exhausted state thought it was an alarm but a second later he could hear what it really was.

A Marine poked his head in the door and shouted. "FIRE!! FIRE!! FIRE!!" At the top of his lungs. "Outside! Now!"

Syxx rolled himself out of bed. From beyond his room it sounded like complete chaos throughout the building. The fox landed on the floor and swore. He held paw over his head, and squinted his eyes as the bright lights turned on, illuminating the room. He was angry, and not about to take any guff from anyone.

The Marine with his head still in the door shouted at him. "Move if you want to live!! Come on get up!! Off the floor!! Move!!"

The black fox brought himself to his feet and spun his head toward the Marine. He was too tired and too angry for this. "Hey you wanna' shut the f-ck up for a second!?"

The dog growled at him and swung the door open slamming it on the wall. "What did you just say to me!?"

Syxx clamped his jaw down and spoke through grit teeth. "I said, shut the f-ck _up_ and get the f-ck _out_ of my room, or I will smash your skull in!! Do I need to repeat myself again, or were you smart enough to listen to the words coming out of my mouth this time!?"

The canine that barged in was much taller and much bigger then Syxx. The Marine walked quickly toward the fox, his nose wrinkled, angry. "Why you've got some nerve."

The fox waited for the hound to get closer to him. Kyla was already up and had slipped into her Marine attire. Kyla stretched her back out and yawned. She was completely unconcerned and doubted there was even a fire. Most of the other Slayers were too. Many just walked past their door as Cornerian Marines tried to convince them to move faster and to vacate the building. The Slayers just casually walked down the halls, and tuned the shouting Marines out.

Kyla watched the angry soldier storm in. Her hair stood on end as he got closer to Syxx before saying. "I wouldn't do that, if I were-"

She knew what Syxx would do and that was all she had said before Syxx stretched out an arm and gave the hound a devastating blow to the skull. The larger Marine's boots lifted from the floor, and the next thing to touch it was his back. His unconscious body knocked the floor, completely limp.

Kyla stood above the Marine's body, her paws on he hips. "I tried to warn him."

Syxx took his time getting his training gear on. After tying up the second boot, he leaned down over the Marine's body. He grabbed the knife off the belt and slipped it into his own. "I'll take that." His other paw grabbed the Blaster. As he looked around the Marine's body for other useful items, his paw offered the weapon to Kyla.

She giggled at his gesture. "No thanks. I don't need that."

The vulpine huffed. "Hah, fine then. More for me." Syxx backed away from the Marine and walked out the door.

"You can't just leave him here."

"Watch me."

"What about the fire?"

He walked out the door. "There's no fire. It's just another one of Ramirez's scams to get us out of bed and run our tails around the country side."

The remaining Slayers made their way downstairs and out into the street. The lights were on, and as Syxx expected, Ramirez was standing in front of the ranks. Syxx fell into the front rank and Kyla went into the one behind. He was irritated.

Ramirez spoke loudly to address all the Slayers. "Good evening Slayers. I'd like to thank you all for participating in our fire drill. It is currently 2300 hours, which means most of you have been asleep for less then an hour, or none at all, that's too bad, live with it."

Pyro's shoulders drooped. His eyes were so tired. He waltzed out of the ranks and started toward the door, that would lead back up to his room, where he would go back to sleep.

"Whoa! Hey!" The Sergeant Major stopped him. "Since we're all out of bed, I thought we could do a little activity."

Pyro yawned. "What kind of activity?"

"How about a good old fashioned game of kick the can?"

Syxx growled. "You got me out of bed for a game? Kick the can? You've got to be kidding me."

Pyro agreed. "Yeah, f-ck you… I'm not playing."

"It's not like you have much of choice."

"No?"

"That's right," said the Sergeant. He began to pace about the front of the Slayers. "You're all about to meet your best friends. For a Marine and for an Infantryman it is their rifle, for a pilot it is their fighter. You're a Slayer. You use all of the above. You strike with precision, and agility. But your best friend, is not your… your… Blaster and it's not your Hook Echo. You're best friend is the dark, you're best friend, is invisibility. If you cannot be seen, then you can carry out your mission in peace. Cover your tracks, and above all, do not get spotted. Make friends with the dark and it will not let you down."

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Syxx kept his breathing to a minimum. The silver blade of the knife was pitched black with the rest of the night. Lights flashed through the trees above him, but to his relief, they soon faded and the voices disappeared into the forests on the outskirts of Corneria.

He had been out here for four hours. But, this was one training mission he didn't mind. He liked the dark. His fur blended in so well, and made him nearly invisible against the dark forests, the only thing cutting that down being the Marine gear for training, and not cut out for field work.

He was instructed to make it to an objective, he knew little about. As far as he knew, all he had to do was make it there without getting shot.

Something that gave him an advantage was the stolen Blaster and knife; something that no other Slayer had, and it turned table unfairly toward Syxx. The only plan he had right now, was to follow a Marine patrol in toward his objective. And that he had been doing.

Syxx had been following a patrol for a little under an hour and so far, it seemed that they were leading him around in circles. He had to keep his distance too. Part of him feared running into unconventional patrols, which would be hiding like the rest of the Slayers, or what would be even worse… running into another Slayer.

Kyla was better then him when it came hand to hand combat, and at an eye to a scope. Syxx was overall stronger though, and he had been practicing to handle a knife more precisely. Even throwing it; at different ranges was not something that he had mastered… yet, but he was getting better. Most of the time, he could get the blade to stab into its target, but sometimes it just bounced off. He was getting better though and unlocking the secrets to doing it properly.

Another thing that came to mind was running into a civilian. They were on crown land, which meant it was free for anyone to use. Project Slayer was an under the books program. The public didn't even know that Slayers existed. If the public found out that they were being trained like this, it could bring the program to a screeching halt. What would happen to the Slayers then? None of them had homes, most would probably return to the world of crime. Syxx wondered what he would do.

Syxx got up from off the ground. He ran through the woods. His body moved with the branches, preventing them from slapping against his torso and limbs. The night was calm and starry, which disappointed him. If the wind had been blowing, then it would mask him movements farther. But at least there was no moon.

The black fox moved close enough so he could hear their voices again, and see their lights searching through the trees and forest floor. By now, Syxx thought he had been patient enough. There probably were blind patrols searching the bush, and ones that would never get back to the "can" until dawn. And that was beyond his mission time. By then they would just track him down using the chip in his neck.

There were four of them in the patrol, and each was armed with either a rifle or an SMG, and one he thought had a pistol. There was enough fire power there to cut holes through Syxx. But his caution and attention had paid off. He knew he needed to know more about the patrol, so far he had discovered that they traveled on a small foot path that wound through the forest. Syxx stalked them, and waited for his moment.

The Marines walked down the foot path. It was only wide enough for one to traverse it at a time, while the others trailed behind in a line.

"… I mean, what use are these guys away? A _Slayer_, oh yeah really original."

"Jalap put in a sock in it, will ya'?"

"All's I'm sayin' is, there's a lot more the military could do with their money. Like, oh I don't know… upgrade our weapons, give us some better armor, get better air support, you know, it's all good though. We're just the Marines, it's not like we ever fight any wars, and we don't need better equipment. No!"

"Would you shut up!? Man! I never knew there were Marines that complained as much as you! You're on the ground, you have a weapon. Smile. Beats flying around in the cruisers waiting for combat, which might never come because you get blown to bits by battleships that have bigger weapons then yours does."

"Guys, come on. Pay attention. Remember what we're here for."

"Yes Sir. I'd love to get my grubby paws on a Slayer. We'll show him who we are. We're the Marines!"

Every single Marine in the squad took an immediate defense hold. A _snap_ came through the trees. They all took a knee and pointed their weapons to where they heard the sound. The four lights attached to each weapon, searched around the forest floor, illuminating it. The trees made long shadows, creeping the soldiers out. There were so many places to hide.

"You guys hear that?"

"Probably just the wind."

Jalap laughed. "Yeah on a perfectly calm evening, you know, a short gust decided to come through, and leave everything alone except for this one stick… which it broke."

"SHH!!"

"I thought I saw something Staff Sergeant."

"Where?"

"Err, maybe twenty yards in. They're probably creeping. It looked like, a shine or something."

"Eyes?"

"No, more like a chunk of metal… or something like that."

The Staff Sergeant nodded and whispered. "Well, we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't go see what it was. Marines, fall in on me." Being the only one with a Blaster, he raised it. The light festooned to it pointed where the end of the barrel did.

They all followed one another. All of them perfectly silently, and fanning out to cover more ground. Jalap took point then gave the hand signal that he had spotted something. The Marines, watched attentively. The Staff Sergeant, second from the rear, gave him the go ahead.

The Marine nodded, and sprinted full out toward the target. All along, the muzzle of the weapon and the light fixed to the M27 never left its target.

Jalap shouted. "On the ground!! On the ground!!"

He froze. The other Marines caught up to him. They still all pointed their weapons at the silhouette. It took them all the same amount of time to realize what they were looking at. Their weapons were all pointed at a dark forest camouflage training jacket, hung up over a low branch, chest high with the arms pinned out. It made a perfect profile.

Their eyes widened and hearts started to pound, half of the squad took knee and spun around, their fingers on the triggers ready to fire, but more frightening then something to shoot at, there was nothing there. It was silent. Their flashlights searched through the trees.

"Sh-t."

"They're screwing with us Sir."

"Jalap, check that thing for booby traps."

The young hound no older then eighteen circled the coat. He checked it for wires, for lazars, for anything that might indicate it was a trap. After another moment, he picked the jacket off the branch. "It's clear Sir."

"He or she can't be far Sergeant. I _know_ I saw a shine somewhere. I say we go farther."

"Negative, we'll be too far off route. Back on me Marines. Whoever it was, had their fun. Davison, be sure to keep our six o'clock clear. Jalap, you're on point. Take us back to the foot path."

"Yes Sir."

"Sir."

"Move out."

The squad moved out again. The Sergeant spoke into the radio of the Siege armoring. "CP this is Bravo team. Contact with Slayer. Danger close."

"Affirmative Bravo. What is your position?"

"Two Ks…"

The Sergeant froze his words when he heard a loud _woomp_ and then, the horror of the Marine behind him shouting. "Drop your weapon!"

"Put it down!"

The Staff Sergeant spun around on his heels, pointing the Blaster in front of him. He never expected to see what he did. The trailing Marine was held by the neck. A gleaming silver blade dug into the soft fur around his neck. His Marine was being used as a shield for whoever had taken him hostage.

"Bravo, we did not receive your last transmission. Say again, over."

Syxx laughed menacingly. "Go ahead… tell them." Syxx drew the blade back farther. The Marine choked and gagged, the black vulpine laughed again. The fox took a few steps back.

The Staff Sergeant gasped. He hesitated still holding the Blaster with both paws toward the target, then spoke into the radio on his chest. "This is Bravo team. We are enroute to CP2, well be there soon."

"Affirmative Bravo. Out."

The vulpine chuckled. "Good call."

"I'd be careful if I were you, stun rounds _really_ leave a mark at this range."

The fox moved the Marines chin up and down with the tip of his blade. "I don't intend on getting shot, Sergeant. Let's just all cooperate, and everyone will go home, alive."

"Come on, just let him go, and we'll let you go."

Syxx pulled up on the blade harder. "I don't think so." He still held the blade firmly against the soldier's neck, while with his left, non-dominant paw he now pointed the Blaster at the center of the three lights. He couldn't see any faces. The fox poked his head over his hostages shoulder. "Would you boys be kind enough to tell me where I'm supposed to go?"

"Marine-"

Syxx shutdown their operation as one started to circle him. "Ah ah ah!" He pointed the gun toward his hostages head, having both the knife and the pistol threatening to kill the Marine. "You guys may have stun rounds, I don't."

"Where'd you get that!?"

"Off one of you're friends. He didn't seem to mind though."

Jalap put a finger on the trigger pulling it halfway in. "You b-st-rd."

Syxx pointed the gun forward. "Let's try and stay focused here."

"Come on." The Sergeant placed a finger on the trigger. "You can't win."

"Carful Sarg." The fox cut some fur off his hostage's throat using the razor sharp blade. The man choked and coughed. The vulpine could do nothing but laugh, flashing his golden tooth, and flicking the ear with the chip out of it. "It's bluffing that gets people killed around here. Just remember whose fault it will be."

"It'll be your fault."

Syxx laughed evilly. "I can live with that. Can you? Let's work together here. You give me what I want, and I… well, you know he wants. Can we make it happen or… no?"

"Let him go!"

"You boys tell me where the objective zone is, and I'll let your buddy here free."

The soldiers hesitated. Their lights all shone in the fox's face, he moved the hound that he had taken hostage left and right. Syxx had to ensure, that they wouldn't take a shot at him. He aimed the gun back over the hostage's shoulder at the men. The knife was still tight against the hostage's neck.

One of the lights moved again, trying to flank him. Syxx snarled. "Hey! One more f-ck-ng move like that and buddy here gets it! That's your last warning!"

"Corporal! Hold fast!" the Staff Sergeant barked.

"But Sir!"

"Marine!"

"Sir! I can take him."

"Hold your FIRE!!" the dog flipped out.

Syxx was getting impatient. "So what's it going to be? I have a tight schedule to run." He breathed into hound's ear. "My choice? Marine expendable."

The canine managed to choke. "Sarg!"

"Come on! We gotta' do something!"

Syxx couldn't see it, but the Staff Sergeant closed his eyes, and ran a paw down his face, while still holding his Blaster, fixed with a flashlight to the other paw. "Head two clicks north, it's just on the other side of the hill, in a field, you can't miss it. Now let him go."

"Thanks a lot."

"Ok, you got what you want. Time to let my Marine go."

"If I let him go, you're just going to shoot me. After all, I think he wants to come with me." Syxx started to back away, slowly. "Any of you take single step, and your pal is a goner. Count to three hundred before following. That clear?"

They didn't say anything, but as the fox backed up they didn't move. Their lights still all pointed at him. When he thought he was far enough away and the lights were nearly out of sight, and he could see just slivers through the trees, he kicked his hostage forward. The boot dug into his back, and forced him into the ground. Syxx leaned over and pressed the knife into his neck, still not being enough to cut the hound.

"Try anything funny and you're f-ck-d."

The hound shuttered. A chill went down his spine and he shivered in fear, both paws clamped over the top of his head as he dug his muzzle into the dirt. "I'll do anything."

"Where is my objective located?"

"He wasn't lying."

Syxx growled into his ear. He ran the knife around the hound's neck. "Do you remember what happened to those two Marine's on the surface of Fichina? The ones that had an accident with their vehicle?"

The hound nodded and shuddered. "Was that…"

Syxx laughed into the hound's ear. "Yours truly. Now where can I find my objective?" He took on a more serious tone, but both were equally freighting to the canine. He spoke just above a whisper. "Now if you think you're smarter then me, then go ahead and be a hero. But just remember that this is an exercise for you and I don't know if the Medal of Honor would be awarded to you're dead carcass for trying to slow me down. Now I'm going to ask one more time." Syxx stabbed the knife into a log, mere centimeters from the hound's head. "Where is _my_ objective?"

"Ok! Ok! It's two kilometers west of here. Just on the other side of the river. The whole area is lit up, by this… this big light thing, it's on a post! You can't miss it! Please I have a family… I'll do anything."

He spoke calmly into the canine's ear. "Count to one hundred."

He nodded quickly in fear. "I'll do it! Just please… let me go."

Syxx grabbed the man's shoulder and thrashed him onto his back. He pulled the knife from the log, making a sharp slitting sound. The black fox slashed the knife across the cheek of his victim. It was just enough for blood to seep out of it. The hound slapped a paw over the long, shallow, cut. Syxx laughed into his ear. "If I find out that you lied to me, and I see you in the light of day. I'll know what to look for. You're not lying to me are you?" He asked sinisterly.

"No! I'm not!"

"That's good, 'cause if you are, I will rip out your throat and watch you die. Any last things you have to say to me? I'll settle the score with my honor… and your blood."

"No… No Sir. That's were it's located. I swear. Please."

Before he had finished the sentence the fox had disappeared into the forest. The hound counted as a whisper, all the way to seventy before the rest of his patrol found him, laying on the ground, quivering in fear and his paws clamped over his head. Tears rolled down his cheek. He had guns pointed at him before, but he had never been so afraid in his life.

The Marines told him to get up. But he just lay on the ground, taking short deep breaths and sobbing.

Syxx ran through the bushes, as fast as his legs would carry him. He had locked onto his position by use if the stars, and headed west. He knew what the Sergeant Major meant now, by making friends with the night. His fur made him look invisible, and he had been practicing moving, quietly, and precisely. And he was getting good at it.

After about a half of an hour he wondered if the Marine patrol was following him. Though he was moving quickly, and silently, he wasn't traveling in a straight line, making small detours to get around trees and gullies. He kept the knife in his paw the whole time, while having the Blaster in his holster, only willing to use it, if he needed the fire power. Otherwise, it made too much noise, and a bright muzzle burst of plasma, not to mention the airborne plasma its self. The knife was better. It was silent. It was deadly. It was his weapon.

He had been always been told to trust his instincts, and that's what he had always done and still did. And they warned him. He slid to a stop on the forest floor, and then jumped backwards, landing on his right shoulder, and flipping onto his feet. Something came at him, but Syxx was ready, he leaned down plowing his shoulder into his target's stomach, and flipping whoever is was over his shoulder, and onto the ground.

Syxx could only see the shadow, and just as it got up, he ran at his target, pushing him backwards. Just as the shadow was about to lose balance, his back smashed into a tree.

The black fox pressed the blade into the soft neck of his prey and pressed the body into the tree. "Who are you?"

The shadow choked. "Hey pal! I'm on your side."

"No one's on my side."

"Just let me go bud!"

Syxx grabbed the collar of the man's jacket and tossed him to the ground.

He fell in a heap. "Is that how you greet your friends around here?"

He now recognized the voice. "Pyro?"

He got back on his feet. "The one and the only! I can't believe that you didn't recognize me! What's up with you? Rough night?"

"No. What are doing here?"

"Umm! Same thing you are! Any idea where… where ever the h-ll we're supposed to be is? Feel's like I've been running my a-s around these woods for weeks. I miss my bed!"

"Yeah… well… there's supposed to be a river up here a little farther." Syxx smiled even though the raccoon couldn't see it. "Out of all the Slayers, I could have possibly run into, why did it have to be you?" They started walking and chatting together.

"I don't know. Maybe there's a wired little bond between us. Keeps us in sync with each other. And by the way, how'd you know where to go? Or, are you just pointing in a direction and hoping for the best… like I've been for the past five hours. And, we'd better move too. It'll be light soon."

Syxx sulked again and repeated himself. "There are eighty two other Slayers besides us, running around out here. Why you?"

"Aha Ha! I know! Isn't it cool!? And, it's this way, you're sure about that?"

"Yeah, you bet."

"How do you know?"

"I asked a Marine."

Pyro froze. "Oh no."

"Don't worry. I let him go… this time. But if he sent me the wrong way, and I see him again, it's lights out."

"How will you know it's him?"

"I left him a little reminder."

"Uhhuh." Pyro spoke to himself. "Note to self, don't p-ss off Syxx."

"You know, Pyro. I've been wondering; what made you a Slayer?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is; you seem like a normal…ish sorta' guy. What landed you up in jail?"

"I'll give you one guess." Replied the raccoon.

Syxx started chuckling. "I had to do with bombs, didn't it?"

"Err… uh - a lot. And what about you?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Fine, don't ask if you're not ready to tell. But, you know if you ever need anyone, I'm there."

"Are you going to talk the whole way?"

"Fine, I'll just zip the lip and when you say '_ummp_!' I'm; '_ump'_."

It didn't take long to find the river that the Marine had been talking about. And down the river, a little ways he could see a light illuminating an area. He couldn't see the light its self, but he could see the brightened sky. He wasn't being lied to after all. They stood on the bank of the river, an eight foot drop separating them from the current. The Slayers were both looking down stream where the light was.

"That must be it." Said Syxx

"Man, I hate this walking thing."

The fox gestured his paw toward the water. "There's always the alternative."

Pyro peaked over the edge of the eroded bank at the cold, fast moving water. "You first."

Syxx scanned up and down the banks for lights on the water, or the shoreline. He didn't see anything. He didn't say anything to Pyro either.

"Oh yeah! And Syxx, I wanted to ask you something. You and Kyla…"

Syxx turned his stare from the deep water to the raccoon. A growl emitted from the back of his throat.

"Is there something going on between you two, or is it just an optical illusion? 'Cause if it is, you're pretty good at it. You know, coordinating with each other to make the magic trick to seem perfect. Unless-"

Syxx panted as a laughed. He licked his gold tooth. His head fell to stare at the water. "Hey Pyro."

"What?"

"You first." He looked up at the raccoon, and grinned menacingly. The golden tooth shone in the little light the stars had to offer. Syxx put his paw in the center of the raccoons back, and pushed him off the bank.

Pyro balanced on his tiptoes for a second. His arms flailed through the air before the fox gave him that last little bit to propel him off the edge. Pyro _splooshed_ into the water, and remained completely submerged for a few moments before he jumped out of the water and thrashed his head back.

He bellowed up the stream that was quickly taking him away from where he had been pushed in. "Yeah! F-ck you too!"

Syxx waited for a fair amount of time before Pyro disappeared around the corner toward their objective. The dark fox then jumped into the water. He landed in the water and floated around under the surface, letting the current take him for a moment, before poking up his head, and taking a long relaxing breath.

The water looked black. And it was flowing at a steady rate. The river wasn't that big, but it was more then enough to submerge the vulpine. Syxx floated in the shoulder deep water. It was chilling, but very refreshing at the same time. His baggy pants slowed his movements in the river, but the same could not be said about his jacket, which he had already used to fool the Marines, now in the light green shirt.

After a little while of floating in the river, he drew nearer to the light. He started to make his way to the other shore. It wasn't like the side that he had come from; it slowly got shallower with a rocky bottom. Syxx crawled out of the water, keeping a low profile.

He rolled the Blaster out of the holster. It wasn't like the many other weapons. As long as the Blaster was not fired while being submerged, it would not be waterlogged, and able to fire. But if it was fired underwater, it would wreck the weapon's fission-fusion core. The Blaster was the only weapon to have mastered that. Though it fired slowly, it never ran out of ammo, and there was never the need to carry extra batteries. It could be charged for a stronger hit too. As long as you didn't need high fire power, it was the perfect weapon.

He snaked his body along the rocky beach until he made it to some low cover of a field. The rest of the area was like a dried out swamp. Small dead bushes, dried grass and low rolling hills were all that were around to cover his advance. When he reached one of the low hills, he looked up, and there it was. A little sign sat atop of a post surrounded in light, saying "The Can."

He knew it was too easy now, and that was the problem. There was no way it could have been that easy. Everything in Slayer was a test. The area was completely disserted, and silent. He suspected snipers, or maybe even mines. He had to play it safe.

The vulpine hit the dirt and wormed around in the dry grass. The fox moved inches at a time, taking him a half hour to move twenty meters, with still another twenty to go, and at least ten of which were illuminated by an eerily lone light. And the eastern sky was starting to get a little brighter.

Syxx had his plan. It was risky, but if it worked, then it would be more then a pay off. It would, make him completely invisible, all the way to his objective. If there were guards around, their eyes would all be adjusted to the light, but so were his right now. He needed to be able to see without them seeing him.

The fox closed his left eye, and left it like that for ten minuets, counting out nearly every second. He kept his right eye open, and turned over onto his side. He wielded the Blaster again with both paws, still lying down. He lined the front site up with the rear, and put it toward the bright plasmatic light at the top of the post.

He waited another second, lining up the shot perfectly. Then, he pulled the trigger in. The Blaster clapped, and shot a ball of white hot plasma through the air, and toward the light. It hit, splashing across the light. The casing melted and soon after popped, causing it to flicker for a moment as the plasma shorted out, then everything became completely dark. Just the way that the vulpine liked it.

Syxx holstered the pistol. He opened his left eye, having it completely adjusted to the dark. Needless to say, his depth perception was thrown off, but he could see, his objective. He jumped over the obstacles in his way. He slid on his stomach, and nearly ran his face into the poll, but had managed to stop himself in time. He latched a paw onto it, and slid his shoulder into the post.

He clamped his eyes shut, and held his breath. He waited for a barrage of plasma fire, or something even worse. But it didn't come. Syxx glanced around, looking for something, but there was nothing but silence, and darkness. Or so he thought, without a warning he was plucked from the ground.

He only had enough time to spin around on his heels before the faint butt of a M27 Plasma Rifle contacted with his skull. His neck spun away, and his ears began to ring. His head sung out in pain, dazing him.

The fox took another hit from the weapon, before he got angry, he pulled the knife from the sheath and jabbed it toward the chest of his enemy. With satisfaction, it sunk into a soft hide. But the only yelp came from Syxx as two needles pricked him in the back.

The dark fox fell to his knees, and reached over his shoulder. His felt the object in his paw, and knew that it was the dart, that he had been shot with so many times, but a double dose, was more then enough to bring the vulpine's chest to the ground, and completely out of it.


	22. Kew

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXII**

**Kew**

* * *

"_Keep it all down locked inside me,  
I swallow it so I can breathe,  
I tried to make, make it go away,  
Try to push it all away,_

_Want it, want it all,  
Need it, watch me fall,_

_Wanted more, I want it from you,  
Needed more, what else can I do?  
I tried to take it, take it away,  
I swallow it everyday,_

_It's like a feeling I can't describe,  
I long to feel like I'm alive,  
I tried to push it, push it down deep,  
Swallow it so I can breathe,"_

**LOWBUZ **_**- "Swallow"**_

* * *

"Fox?" Krystal asked the vulpine. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything is fine Krys. Why?"

"Well, your mind tells me a different story. Is there something troubling you?"

"Just seeing Tricky again… it brings back a bunch of old memories. That's all."

"You did well today Fox."

"So did you. It's good to know that you can handle yourself on the ground like that."

Fox and Krystal stood on the bridge of the Greatfox. The lights had been dimmed, as the ship sat in silent mode. They were the only two there besides the artificial intelligence of ROB. The rear cameras aboard the flagship watched the planet Sauria disappear into the distance and the blackness of space. Both the green and blue of the planet disappeared altogether, soon just becoming one of the other billions of specks in the sky

Krystal smiled. "You did it again Fox, you saved planet Sauria."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without the help of the team, and you." Fox swayed forward, and put his paws on the railing.

Krystal put a paw over the vulpine's. "Thank you Fox. For everything, and maybe when this is all over, we can come back. Maybe for a little holiday?"

"I'd like that Krystal. I bet you'd liked to see Cape Claw again."

"Again?"

"Huh? You've never seen it?"

"Well, I didn't have a lot of time to explore the planet like you did. But, if you know your way around, then I'd love for you to show me."

"We'll see what happens Krystal." The fox took his opposite paw and lifted Krystal's off of his and pulled away, now heading toward the door.

She felt a little offended when Fox took her paw off of his. All she was trying to do was warm up to him, she just wanted to be around him, and she just wanted to touch him. She wagged her blue tail in front of her. She grabbed it with both paws, and cutely started playing with the white tip of it. "Fox where are you going?"

He froze in the doorway. His ears drooped and he looked at the floor. "I'm sorry. I can't be with you anymore."

"What did I do? Why are you upset with me?"

"You know why."

Krystal let her tail go, and stepped over to the vulpine. She placed a paw over his shoulder. "What's wrong Fox? I don't understand."

He reached over his shoulder and threw off the vixen's paw.

She was confused. Krystal didn't know what was happening. Fox had never acted this way before. Not to her. "What's this about?"

His head and ears dropped further. "I saved you from Sauria. I took you in, and kept you safe. I thought I did the right thing. I thought by making you leave, you'd be safe. I was wrong. You never forgave me for that. I swallowed my pride, and I apologized… and still… you couldn't find it in your heart."

"Fox please."

"Krystal… I gave you second life. You couldn't even give me a second chance."

Everything went black. The bridge of the Greatfox disappeared, and along with that, Fox was taken too. The blue vixen found herself in total blackness, alone and scared. She could feel a spiritual presence surrounding her; she could the warm breath, a familiar voice against the fur around her neck, and in her ears, like it was surrounding her.

She could have sworn it was the vocals of none other then Fox McCloud. But it was deeper. It was darker. It was vengeful, and she could sense the anger and impatient tone of it. It couldn't be him… or could it?

The voice was deep and calm, though she could still sense its other qualities. "I gave you second life. You couldn't give me a second chance."

"Fox!? Is that you!? Where are you!?"

The only reply that came made the fur on the back of her neck stand on end and her heart pound in her ears. A dark laugh surrounded her. She spun around in the darkness trying to find the source. But there was nothing. The evil laugh soon echoed away, leaving the little vixen alone frightened. She took quick gasps and tried hard not to sob as her love was taken from her.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

The rewarding life of a bounty hunter… the memories playing over and over again inside of her head. They taunted her and they tormented her. Every night a different dream playing within her mind, and showing her how foolish she had been. How she threw it all away to struggle with the life she had now. Though she was Kursed now, the little fox knew that there was no escaping who she really was.

She had money now at least. The job actually paid pretty well. Accommodations regardless of how sleazy they were, were still provided. Of course, the job was dangerous and perhaps it wouldn't be long until she got killed in the line, she was fine with that. Though she had considered taking her own life, multiple times over the past few weeks, she never could. She could never pull the trigger on herself, no matter how hard she ever tried. She was stronger then that, and as much as it hurt, Fox had taught her better.

Kursed walked along the streets of planet Kew. The ship that she was stationed on, made close orbit with the planet, and for the time being, she was on the surface of the dirty and wasteful planet getting her job done and earning her pay. The streets had a filthy odor, and garbage blew around in the wind, fumbling old news papers and litter around the air.

Dust and garbage ran across the sidewalk. Her shimmering black boots dulled as dust collected on their surface. Her black leather pants were kept mostly clean, out of reach of the dust and filth racing across the pavement. Her stomach was exposed, with two pieces of leather jointed at the center of her chest, covering the rest of her chest. Black bands covered over the white tattoos on her blue fur, and once again, black gloves to cover her paws.

The blue fox squinted. Few people crowded the streets. She could sense that each and every single one was packed with a concealed weapon if they didn't already have theirs showing. Kursed preferred it. She didn't care who knew she had a weapon. It was attached to a holster, looping into a belt that ran around her waist. For many it was just to defend him or her from the people that lived there. The planet was nothing like Corneria. It _was_ mainly used as a ship bone yard, for old Cornerian frigates, flagships, cruisers, battleships and everything else that the Space Navy used. There was little order, and the planet always seemed to be on the brink of a world wide riot. A gun shot was never far off and not a strange thing to hear.

Most people lived in the many towering apartments, in the old city. Her home ship had given her a small house to live in, on the outskirts of Kew City. It was more like, a big shack to her, but she was getting paid. The job wasn't as glamorous as it seemed, but she was getting more used to it as the time ticked by.

She glared at a man that passed her as she walked down the streets of the city. When he gave her an aggressive look, her paw hovered over the grip of her Blaster. The vixen watched him, both with her eyes and her mind. Knowing his every move, before it was preformed. It made her a very good bounty hunter. She could read the minds of her prey, and always have the perfect solution to a problem that hadn't even arisen yet. But, this hound was no threat to her at the time being.

She slowly made her way to the outskirts. It took her a full hour to walk there, when she came to her door, she turned the key to open it. It was old technology. The door slowly creaked open. The door was old and wooden, threatening to fall off its hinges. She walked in, shutting it tightly behind her and locking it from the inside, not that it would take much to knock it down anyways.

Through the darkness, she made her way to the small kitchen. She placed both paws on the blinds over the sink and threw them open. The dark little shack lit up with natural sunlight. Kursed reached up into the cupboard and poured some water into a dirty old glass. But instead of drinking it, she spun around and tossed it through the air. It landed on someone on the wall just behind the table of the small kitchen.

"Wake up!" She hissed.

An elderly vulpine hung on the wall. Old rusty shackles and chains pinned up his arms and neck, leaving him immobile. The old man was only being held up by his wrists, while his limp head drew forward. A metal ring was festooned tightly around his neck, being held by a chain which was fastened to the wall. Three bonds festooned him to the old, but yet still sturdy wooden wall of the house.

The old man looked up, he had grey fur around his muzzle and much of his other fur had faded from a red to an older grayish tinge. He was weak, and he spoke out of a dry throat. "Who are you?"

Kursed took a few steps toward the old fox, and around the table, now standing right in front of him. She put the tip of her Blaster to his chin. She turned his head, left then right. "My name is Kursed and I'm a bounty hunter. I've been hired to kill you."

His voice was weak. "What? Why?"

"Because it's how I make a living."

The blue fox placed the Blaster in her left paw. She lifted her right and latched it around the old vulpine's neck. He choked and gagged. Kursed laughed, and closed her eyes. She reached into the old vulpine's mind with her own powerful Cerinian mentality, and took everything that she could. There was nothing in particular that she wanted. She wasn't hungry for information, like she used to be. But, she was looking for something. Something that took her a lot of concentration.

She searched around the old man's head with her sixth sense. The man began to squirm, and shake. He tried to lung a paw forward, but it was useless. He didn't dare kick; for fear that his feet may slip out from under him, and the two bonds, one around each wrist breaking his bones, not to mention the clamp around his neck. The chains kept his paws loosely attached to the wall. Soon, he began to yell and scream, but Kursed tuned it out, still playing with the mind. Still torturing the man, she was far from finished.

She brought out all the old man's greatest fears and made them play inside his head. To Kursed, it was nothing more then a perk of the job. To her, it was fun and all imaginary, but to the old red vulpine, they were reality. Every fear he ever had played in front of his eyes, leaving him blind to what was really happening.

Kursed opened her eyes and looked into those of her victim. They dripped with tears, as his greatest fears clouded his vision. She smiled viciously. The blue fox took up every second, not taking any of the time for granted. She watched the fear inside of his eyes. Tears beaded and rolled down from the old vulpine's cheek, soon patting the dirty and stained floor of the old shack.

The blue fox had soon had enough. A serious look came over her face, but she was very satisfied by her work. She saw what she wanted to see. She put her left paw up to the side of the man's head, and without letting go of his neck with the other; she slowly drew the trigger in.

The weapon clapped, and all the movements that were being made moments before came to a stop. Blood ran down her right paw, and started to dribble down the blue fur of her arm. Some had been blown onto her face, while a gaping hole had been left in the side of his head. Blood pumped out of the wound and slowly ran down the side of the fox's clothes and onto the floor.

Though the fox was dead, Kursed held her paw tightly around his neck. She could still feel his faint heart beat, soon becoming and more dim. She smiled as she watched and felt the life slip out of her paws. Soon the beat of the old man's heart faded further, and in the moments to come, it stopped altogether, ending his life.

Kursed let go of the dead vulpine's neck. She thrashed her paw to throw the majority of the loose blood onto the floor, next to her. She would have to wash up before she went out again. She still needed to collect her pay too. Something she would deal with later.

This was the job, but she wanted more. She needed more. She liked to torture her victims. She liked to put them through pain, like the pain she had. She liked to see the fear in their eyes. It wasn't easy to do. She had to take her time. If the mind was fresh, and strong, she couldn't do it. They needed to be deprived of food, of water, and perhaps the most important of all they needed to be deprived of light. They had to fear what was going to become of them; the dark kept them waiting, waiting in fear. It was all just to weaken their mental defenses and their senses enough for her to reach into their heads and take from them, what she wanted so badly.

The blue fox showed her fangs as she grinned. She could imagine their fear now. Not knowing if they would ever be fed again, drink again, or if it was day or night. The light was defiantly the most important part. They needed to be deprived of it. Never knowing if they would see it again.

This particular man had been hanging on the wall a little over twelve hours. But he was feeble. Sometimes it took days. Strong minds were extremely hard to break, but they always did at some point. That was how long it took though. But it was all worth it in the end. She wanted others to feel the pain that she felt. She took out her revenge on others, and embraced every second of it.

She still cursed her name. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair. Suicide had been becoming a stronger option to her as every lonely day passed by, and though she blamed Fox for everything that has happened to her, deep down, the vixen knew that it was all her fault. She just wished she could have smartened up in time and got off her little ride with Fox, but she couldn't. She didn't murder Fox. Perhaps she was the only one that knew that headlines were not true.

The vixen had wanted it more then anyone else. She needed it more then anyone else. She needed Fox. She needed his love and his caring. But she tried to push it all the way she possibly could. She tried to take it away from Fox, but in the end, she was just taking it away from herself. As time went on, she had swallowed it every day so she could breathe.

She stared at the dead body that hung limp in front of her. Blood had sprayed all over the wall, and now oozed out of the wound. The man's head drooped forward, and the bonds around his wrists being the only things supporting him besides the rusty steel collar around his neck. The rigid bracelets with loose chains threatened to snap his arms.

She placed the Blaster back in its holster, even with the blood on the muzzle. The fox unlatched the collar around his neck, then one wrist. The fox's half hung body dropped sideways and a horrifying snap reverberated through the room, as the only metal bracelet latched around his wrist, chained to the wall broke his frail bones. His forearm now bent at a ninety degree angle at one part. Kursed unlatched the final bond around the broken wrist and the half hung body fell to the floor, drenched in its own blood.

She locked her eyes onto the body. Rage began to fill her. The vixen slammed her boot into the stomach of the dead body, again, and again. Her pearly white teeth glowed as she bared them, snarled and continued beating the body.

She screamed in rage as she beat the dead body. "Brainless Krystal! Dumb Krystal! F-ck-ng stupid Krystal!"

With one last kick, the man turned over now resting horizontally against the wall.

It was just another mess for her to clean up and just another day in the life of Kursed. But, hey… at least the shower worked.


	23. From a Business Prospective

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXIII**

**From a Business Prospective**

* * *

"_Kicking your poems note,  
Another cry from a dry throat,  
See I don't have to believe you,  
But you better believe me,  
You affected no one's life,  
Just infected and redeemed sight,  
That's why I'll do you the favor,_

_I love everything about you,"_

**INDEX CASE **_**– "Fetish"**_

* * *

As it had every time, Syxx's head spun as he came too. He never found out what was in the dart that was shot at him, but the double dose, really took him down a peg. He opened his eyes to only see darkness. He was still confused from the drug, and it took him a few more hard blinks to realize that he was not in a dark place, but something had been tied over his eyes, blinding him.

All of a sudden, it was taken off. He squinted. The single plasmatic light hanging overhead made his eyes sting and burn and took a toll on his head making it especially hurt even more. As his eyes adjusted, he became more aggravated. He remembered this room, he remembered this scenario. This was the same room he had been placed in when he had first became a Slayer. He wasn't sure if it was the same guards surrounding him, but they were there too.

"Is it just me, or is there a little bit of _déjà vu_ going on here?" One of the guards said, laughing.

Syxx's head fell to look at his lap, hiding his eyes. "Is it just me, or is it a little stupid in here?"

"Silence!" one of the men slammed a butt of a rifle into the stomach of the vulpine.

He felt the wind rush out of his lungs and he groaned. He slowly looked up, with a vicious open mouthed smile. "You f-ck ups never learn do you?"

One of the guards placed the muzzle of a Plasma SMG up to his chin. He tried to move the fox's head around, but Syxx refused to comply, it dug into his fur. He didn't care if he got shot, and he didn't care if he died. He was one of the toughest hostages the Marines could have ended up with. Syxx was an excellent Slayer, and not one that any Marine would ever want to meet if he wasn't immobilized, and even then…

The feline laughed. "So… you're Syxx."

The black fox smiled slightly. "So… you're that dumb f-ck."

One of the other guards chuckled. Syxx let his smiled grow before he received more hits by a furry of paws. He tried to fight back, but he remembered that his paws where tied behind the back of the chair after trying to lift them. Just as they had been last time. This time though, his legs were also fastened to the legs of the chair. There was little he could do to defend himself let alone attack there was nothing he could do, but sit back in the chair, and take hit, after hit to the face and the rest of his body.

In another few moments, the punches stopped. The vulpine raised his head. The pain strained through his neck, and yet he remained strong. A drop of blood fell out from his mouth, followed quickly by a few others that continued to land on his light green army shirt.

The vulpine laughed. "That it? My grandma hits harder then that, and she's dead. You boys better get your act together."

The black feline placed the muzzle of the SMG up to the side of his head again. It was light enough to hold with one paw. "Don't tempt me."

Syxx started at him for a moment, his mouth still open letting drops of blood pat out. "Fire away, see if I care."

For a moment, Syxx had thought that he did fire. But, the vulpine felt no pain. Well… not from the shot that was. But he did feel a warm rush or air past his head and the soldier in front of him drop to the ground. The two other soldiers fired in return. But Syxx couldn't see what or who they were fighting, whatever or whoever it was, was still behind him. Burning balls of plasma shot over both of his shoulders. There was nothing he could do, but sit in his chair, yawn, keep his head down as best he could, and wait.

The next shot was a long yellow line, once again passing right over his shoulder, singeing some of the fur around his neck. One of the guards dropped, and the last one was shortly behind, both by a silent shot of a long yellow tracer. He still sat calmly in the chair, his ears twitched at they listened for footsteps, but there was nothing, so he sighed, still waiting. There wasn't much he could do.

His ears perked up as something covered his eyes. What ever it was couldn't have been a cloth. It felt warm, like it was someone's paw, and he could see cracks of light through what appeared to him, to be fingers. Something else fondled with the edge of his chipped ear. Then, something made contact with his muzzle, giving him a short and sweet peck on the lips. He knew now who it was, before the paw was even lifted.

When it was, he squinted again at the brightness. Kyla's face was right in front of his, and she remained there smiling at him. "Hey there _hun_."

The vulpine coughed and spat out some blood. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm rescuing you."

The fox looked away from her, toward the floor to the right of him. "I don't need your help."

She paced back and forth in front of him. She nodded, and as she walked past him the way she came. She lifted bushy tail and swiped it under the vulpine's nose. She continued to walk away, back the way she had come. "Fine then, starve to death for all I care. Talk to ya' later."

He knew now that she tried to make her footsteps sound heavy. The sound of her boots echoed through the room, slowly getting more distant from the vulpine. Syxx pulled at his paws, both tightly wound to the chair, along with his feet. He listened to Kyla's steps grow more distant.

He finally sighed and gave in. "Wait."

The steps stopped. "What is it?"

"You know what it is."

She turned around and made her way to him again. She stood in front of the other fox. "No I don't. What do you need?"

Syxx glared at her. "Let me go."

The vixen leaned in closer to him. "Say it."

The dark fox narrowed his gaze further. He clenched his jaw and spoke through clamped teeth. "Let me go."

"You're not going anywhere until I decide."

"Kyla." He growled, showing his teeth.

"I can't hear you."

Syxx hated being in this position. He sighed, still with a clamped jaw. "I need your help."

Kyla giggled. It wasn't hard to tell that Syxx wasn't happy about things. She heard what she wanted to. And yet… she continued to taunt him. "What's the magic word Syxx?"

"Please." He growled.

She giggled at him. Teasing him further, "Now, altogether." She loved to tease the vulpine. It was something she had never gotten to do before.

His jaw dropped as he became angrier. He began to struggle, attempting to get himself out, without any help from the vixen.

Kyla smiled. "Go ahead. I could watch you all day."

He thrashed about for a moment longer. Before staring at the vixen again, and panting. "Kyla, could you help me out here, please?"

She moved her muzzle closer to his, their noses now touching. "Now with a cherry on top."

"Oh forget it!!" the vulpine shouted. He struggled harder, thrashing his body about.

"Ok, ok, I was just kidding. Relax Syxx." She pulled a knife from one of the guards. "Just hold still alright?"

"Fine." Syxx sulked.

"Oh, don't pout. Try to look at this from more of a…" she paused what she was doing for a moment to look up at the stronger, but immobile, fox, "from more of a business prospective, Syxx."

Syxx growled at her. "Yeah, I'll try to remember that for next time. Now get me out of this."

"Alright." She went back to work. "Hold tight. I'll have you out in no time."

Before long, Kyla had both of Syxx's paws free, and in another moment, his legs too. The fox stood up and stretched out his chest, limbs and back. His head rushed as the drug finished working its way through his system, still making his head hurt. The fox stared at Kyla, for the first time noticing the sniper that was strapped onto her back, which explained the yellow tracers of plasma.

"I think you probably would have had an easier time with a close range weapon. A Blaster maybe?"

"Yeah, and you would have done great with a knife."

"You know what I mean. Choose the right weapon for the right scenario."

She smiled back at him, pulled the Plasma Beam Sniper Rifle out from around her back. She rubbed the scope with her paw, and brought the weapon closer to her chest. "I know, but… I'd rather stick with a sniper. It keeps things clean."

The black fox looked at the floor. "What about these guys?"

"Don't worry. They're just stun rounds. They'll come around soon enough."

Syxx picked up a _Model Seven Plasma SMG_. He found another one that one of the other guards that now lie on the floor had. He wielded one in each paw, and needless to say, he forged himself a knife as well.

"I told you that you'd need my help someday." The vixen grinned.

He snarled. "That didn't count."

She replied sarcastically. "Oh, no. Of course not."

"What are you doing here anyways? What's happening?"

"Some of the Slayers are being trained in hostage and prisoner of war rescue."

He laughed. "And I wasn't invited?"

"Well… I guess they chose Slayers, who were a little less likely to… you know," she paused and pressed her nose up to Syxx's again. "Kill everyone."

Syxx sighed and cracked a light, but still evil smile. He liked the way that Kyla acted, and how she had affected no one's life but his. Though, he would probably never tell her, he loved everything about her. But he wasn't sure if that's what he wanted to choose. He never wanted what had happen to him, happen again. It could be a while, for him to make his final decision.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

The black fox yawned. He had no idea how much time he had lost while being unconscious, nor did he care that much. Time seemed to be irrelevant these days. There was no where he had to be. Right now, he was just happy to relax in the common room at the base of the barracks. Usually at this time, he went to work out at the gym, to maintain and build upon his shape, but he knew he needed a rest. His powerful athletic condition wasn't going to fade if he missed a day. Besides, what he did was just extra. He was worked everyday of Slayer.

Kyla sat beside him on the sofa. She gave him his space, and she lay there staring at the flickering TV, her eyes slowly fading downwards, half asleep. All of them got to get some rest for a while. Or so he thought he would get, until an alarm went off.

The vulpine sunk further into the sofa, tilted his head back and sighed. "It's always something, isn't it?"

Cobalt stretched out and dropped the remote on the table next to his chair. "Seems so."

It seemed Kyla was completely unfazed by the alarm. She leaned back into the couch, sighed, and shut her eyes after crossing a leg over the other.

The black vulpine growled and was just to get up from the sofa, when who else but Pyro stumbled into the door. His fur was mangy and looked blown back. The Marine outfit he wore was soaked with water. Two great big dinner plate eyes fulfilled his face, as he stood in the door way, stumbling in place, try to keep his balance.

Syxx remained seated. He closed his eyes, and spoke through bared, grit teeth. His golden fang revealed. "What did you do?" He growled.

Pyro looked around the room. He blinked hard. The raccoon stumbled backwards a few steps before catching himself with his feet. He shifted his eyes around and smiled uncomfortably. "Did not think it would float."

Syxx grew a little angrier. "What would float?"

Pyro blushed, and scratched his neck. He took another moment to answer. "Err… the grenade."

A spark of anger went through Syxx. The first time he got to relax and, none other then Pyro had screwed it up for him. The alarm blazed on. The black fox looked down, hiding his eyes from anyone around him, and slowly stood up from the chair. He clenched his paws into tight fists, and cracked his knuckles, by simply rolling each paw. He emitted a deep growl form the back of his throat.

"Uhh Pyro?" Kyla said, with her eyes still closed.

The raccoon rubbed his face. "What's up _bud-et_?"

The silver and grey furred feline looked at the dark fox, and then the raccoon, before finishing the vixen's thought. "I… think you'd better run."

"What? Why?"

"Cause-"

"Because," Syxx interrupted. "I am going to kick, your a-s."

Pyro laughed. "Yeah right! You would never-"

Syxx slowly looked up as he spoke. "Ten, nine, eight, seven…" he began to take a wider stance, making him look bigger, and more intimidating.

"Syxx!! I-"

The vulpine glared at him. "five, four, three…"

Cobalt rested his muzzle on his paw, propped up with his forearm. "I think you better get going."

The raccoon looked around at the three Slayers in the room. "Hey guys, I gotta' go. There's this thing… I gotta' go to it." He stumbled out the door and the sounds of his footsteps began to disappear down the hall.

Syxx closed his eyes. "One."

He opened his eyes again. He bolted toward the door, jumping over a couch and throwing a table out of the way with one paw. The counter top flipped and slammed down to the floor. Syxx took off down the hall. "Come'mere!!"

Kyla and Cobalt watched the fox storm out the door. The Alarm stopped. The feline looked back toward the TV. "He makes a good Slayer."

The vixen giggled. "Pyro or Syxx?"

The feline stared at the TV. "Well… Syxx more then Pyro. But, if you need something blown up, I guess you talk to Pyro."

The little vixen nodded, lost in her own thoughts. "That he does."

The sound of the TV cut into the vixens thoughts. "Over the past few days, rumors of super soldiers, being trained by Corneria's Military have arisen. Today, at noon, these rumors were confirmed to be not true by Corneria's General, Peppy Hare. This is from earlier today."

The footage switched from the news room to a podium outside the Military Complex. An old hare slowly walked toward the stand. Half a dozen microphones pointed at his muzzle. Many soldiers in black uniforms stood on either side of General Peppy Hare. The old man smiled timidly, and spoke into the microphones, as the cameras zoomed in on him.

"Over the past few weeks, there have been rumors going around the public that the Military has been training soldiers to the brink of death, and past it, to get the best of the best. I am here today to clear things up with the media, and say, that these rumors are completely untrue. The Cornerian Military would never support a program as brutal as that. We can assure you, that any threat, alien or interstellar to Corneria can be handled with the Space Navy, and the ground force corps. And, thanks to the formation of Star Falco, we can surely be safe."

Cobalt yawned. "Well, I think the military better get their acts together. Because, we're coming, and we're not about to leave."

"Weren't you listening to them?" Kyla snapped. "They denied that were training us. We don't exist."

"What go into you?"

"It's just a p-ss off. All of us work so hard, and zero recognition and… a really long day I guess. But then again, isn't every one?"

"That's right."

Kyla shook her eyes away from the TV set. "I'll talk to you later, I gotta' crash."

The vixen lifted from the sofa, and headed toward the door, before the feline stopped her. "Oh! And so you and Syxx… is there something going down between you two?"

The vixen stopped at the door, and turned red in the face. She shook her head, before turning around. "Nah, he wouldn't come near me if he could help it. If you, haven't noticed, he's kinda' anti… everyone."

Pyro flicked his eyebrows. "Sure." He wasn't quite convinced.

Just as the vixen left the door, Pyro came spinning around the corner, and running up to her.

The vixen giggled. "How'd your _meeting_ with Syxx go?"

The raccoon jumped around, looking in all directions. "Sh-t!! You haven't seen him!? I thought he was with you!!"


	24. Dressed to Kill

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXIV**

**Dressed to Kill**

* * *

"_I've see the end ahead,  
But I still keep marching on,  
__Nowhere to go but off the edge,  
All sense we had is gone,_

_We do just what we are told,__  
No matter what's been done,__  
No consequence,  
No aftermath,_

_No tell of what's to come,  
We march along,  
Don't care whose wrong,  
We still stand strong,_

_Keep marching on,  
__Although we're one,__  
Under the gun,__  
While you're at home,  
We march alone,"_

**HYPNOGAJA **_**– "The March"**_

* * *

_**X**_

_Two years later…_

* * *

The black fox stood in the center of the boxing ring. Three Marine's surrounded him. The vulpine huffed. A challenge like this was little more then routine for a soldier such as himself. The fox slowly crouched down. He was a Slayer. He could read their every single move. He knew how they were going to act, and anticipated each and every attack, that they had. Syxx knew how to counter attack, and to balance a good defense with a good offense. He knew what he was doing.

One of the Marine's bolted toward him. The vulpine knew what to do. From the way that each assailant moved, the vulpine could tell each of their strengths, and more importantly each of their weaknesses. He could read them, knowing how they were react to each and every single one of his own actions. Three attackers were nothing more then a simple task to a Slayer. To Syxx, this drill was just a warm up.

One of the soldiers made their move. A large hound, much bigger then Syxx jumped at the fox. But the dark Slayer could see it coming, and was countered by nothing more, then sidestepping out of the way. It took the vulpine no more then thirty additional seconds to have the three Marines on the floor, moaning in pain. Though the fox didn't look it, he was the most powerful one in the boxing ring, both physically and mentally.

The vulpine jumped over the ropes and landed on the floor of the gym. Kyla was there to greet him. "Not bad, but… could have done better myself."

The vulpine nodded. "Yeah, when was the last time we fought?"

"That probably would have been a few years back Syxx." The vixen thought. "But, I wouldn't want to embarrass you again. Not after the rep that you built up."

"You may have the skill in rehearsal, but how does that play out on the stage?"

"Well, how 'bout you and I figure that out, right now? You know, if you're feeling that high and mighty right now."

Syxx sneered, still knowing that the smaller vixen could beat him. "I'll pass. But maybe Pyro is up for a little fun though?"

The raccoon sat with his back up against the silvery wall of the gym. His dark green Marines corps jacket sat beside him. He looked up at the two Slayers. "Oh, yeah, well f-ck you too Syxx." The raccoon grinned, and laughed.

Cobalt bit his lip, grinning out of a corner of the mouth. "Come on Pyro, it's just a girl."

"Yeah! A girl that could kick my-"

"Slayers!!" a voice rang out over the gym, and echoed through the room. In a moment it was completely silent. Sergeant Major Ramirez stood at the door. "All on me! Let's go! Hump it out!"

He got no reply, but in moments, all the forty-two Slayers assembled outside. They knew what to do. As soon as the green army jeep took off. The entire Slayer group started running to catch up, and to follow to where their next challenge await them. To them, it was a_ short_ fifteen kilometer run to one of the hangers on the many runways of the base. The jeep sped up from the recruits leaving them all in the dust. It disappeared into the dark hanger.

The Slayers soon caught up, slowing down as they entered the darkened hanger. None of them were out of breath. They were all ready. The door shut behind them, leaving them in total blackness. They all walked through the darkness, knowing that soon either the whole area would illuminate, or there would be a light for them to make their way too. And as they had predicted, the whole hanger slowly faded in. The plasmatic lights on the old ceiling of the hanger slowly swung as the fans that kept the building cool, rotated, giving the building a buzzing ambiance.

The Slayers made their way to the jeep that was parked in the center of the hanger. Four soldiers stood outside of it, one it white, one in green, one in black and one in a blue uniform. They were the four trainers that they had their whole Slayer career. They had learned a lot from them, almost all they knew.

The Slayers assembled around the jeep. Syxx was just about to say something, but raccoon Sergeant spoke before he could.

The Sergeant leaned over the front wheel well, of the jeep. "For the past two years, you have watched your comrades fall in the basis of training. And I'm here to say, that none of you can be Slayers. Not without the gifts that we are about to give to you."

The raccoon snapped his fingers once. From the corner of the room, four Marines wheeled in two huge silver cases. They stopped when the cases were delivered, and walked away, back where they had come from. Syxx never took an eye off the huge wheeled silver cases, almost expecting something to emerge from them. Another test, just like everything was. He didn't hate it, in fact, it kept his life going. It kept him aware.

The lights dimmed slightly. The raccoon made his way over to the one of the silver cases and stopped before unlatching it. "There is nothing that can rival the training that all of you have received, but to give you the upper hand in the battle field, we have made a few things especially for each and everyone of you."

The hound in the blue uniform went beside the raccoon. The German Sheppard placed his paw on the top of the box. "What each of you are about to see is years in the making and finally coming out with a result. What we are going to show you is a weapon, designed by SFX. Now think about this, SFX designs fighters, and not guns. They designed this weapon especially for you."

The raccoon opened the case. Inside was what looked to Syxx to be just, parts. He stepped forward though. He wanted to be the first one. He always wanted to be first, and often, he was.

The Sergeant Major looked through the large metallic case. He grabbed an item with extreme care, and placed it in the paw of the black vulpine. What he held now was what seemed to be an oversized pistol of sorts. It had both a rear grip, and a rounded forward grip that was placed just under the muzzle of the weapon. Where the solid black was not to be found, there was a dull silver tint. An especially odd part was a rounded cylinder that pointed out below the muzzle. But what stuck out most to the fox, was the dual finger trigger, where there were groves for two fingers in the trigger. The pistol was very light in weight. Most importantly, on the side where there was a Black Blade Star engraved, there were the numbers sixty-six. This weapon was especially for him.

The raccoon and three other officers all passed around the weapons; until each and everyone matched its number.

The Marine husky now spoke up. "What you hold in your hand now, is the Model One M-A-P-A-W, but as we like to call it, the _Mapaw_."

Syxx rolled his paw around the grip and place both his pointer finger and middle finger in their slots of the trigger. The weapon was very comfortable to hold, and was much larger then the Blaster, but the odd thing with this weapon was, it was even lighter then the Blaster. Though, he still found no use for the vertical grip stock under the muzzle of the weapon. It was too small yet to be held as a submachine gun.

Syxx wasn't exactly impressed. "So? What's so special?"

"Mapaw is a tough weapon. Extremely powerful, accurate and how the weapon is put together, makes it nearly indestructible. It's a Slayer exclusive. But why don't we go the range around back?" proposed Ramirez.

With each of the weapons the Slayers went out the back door, and looked out over a short distance range, pointing away from the runways. Syxx didn't wait for permission to fire. He picked a target, and looked down the elegant sights. He expected a bang, or a slap. His heart leaped as the pull of the trigger was followed by a _slice_. The red and white target popped.

The other Slayers knocked off a few more shots. Syxx still wasn't satisfied. SFX could have made a better weapon. He fired off a few more shots, when a smaller silver box was placed at his side. The differences he could see from the Blaster were that the weapon did have little recoil, and still possessed hitting power. The shot also had a higher velocity. And obviously, it was larger and yet as light as a Blaster.

Ramirez spoke up over the weapon fire, and shortly it stopped. "Open your box's."

Syxx abided and unlatched the box. Inside was a series of barrels, and stocks, all with slots and latches.

"The Mapaw uses what we call a fission-fusion core. Same one as the Blaster, which is what supplies it with unlimited firepower. Fission produces a lot of energy; it is the splitting of atoms in the core. Fusion produces just as much if not more, and it is the combining of atoms. The Mapaw is constantly putting these atoms together and taking them apart, which produces massive amounts of energy and gives it unlimited ammunition. But beware; the weapon_ is_ vulnerable to overheating. There is a gauge just over the pistol grip. If the weapon overheats, give it a few seconds the cool. Then, it's good to go again."

Pyro looked over the weapon. "So… why is it called the Mapaw?"

The Marine superior answered. "I was hoping someone would ask. It stands for Modifiable-All-Purpose-Assault-Weapon. What's in your cases, are components to the weapon. You can make the stock longer. You can make the barrel longer. You can put a scope on it. When you change out the barrel it polarizes the plasma differently, and has a different cooling system, which lets you fire it at different speeds and different power levels. For example, when you put the sniper attachment on, the shot is powerful, but it uses more power and takes a little longer to cool. One shot in the sniper could be equal to five shots automatically in the rifle form. I don't know if that's how the power levels match, but you get the picture. Try it out."

Syxx looked at the longest barrel. It looked kind of like a long hammer. The barrel had a panel over it, which allowed the fastened scope to slide over the sights of the Mapaw pistol formation. The barrel easily snapped into the muzzle of the pistol, and the open sights were now covered by a scope. The vulpine snapped a stock onto the weapon too, making it a true sniper. The parts locked together perfectly, and didn't budge while it was locked in. The Mapaw formations were sturdy.

The fox lifted the lightweight weapon and stared down the scope. It automatically focused, and calculated windage, range, and rotation. He placed the marker over its target, and fired. He saw a flash of bright plasma move through the air, and smash the target, while the weapon little more then _snipped_. This sniper didn't leave tracer. He fired it four more times quickly, and the weapon stopped firing as two flaps above the pistol grip sprang out to cool the core of the weapon. The trigger jammed inward, then pushed back out as the weapon retook its proper temperature, being ready to fire once again.

The fox was eager to try all the variants. He tried the SMG model, the LGM model, the rifle model, and it even came with a shotgun variant. The vulpine immediately took back all he thought about the weapon. It was probably the best thing, he had ever seen apart from the Hook Echo. He just needed to pick his preferred variant, and he knew what Kyla would choose. He figured he would just stick with the pistol. If he wanted to change it up, there was the option. A weapon like this would really pay off in the field.

"The M1 Mapaw has a special firing mechanism. When the shot loads, it is plasma, but when it leaves the chamber, it is actually a solid. It's like a metal. Just after being expelled from the barrel, it reacts within itself turning it back into plasma, giving it a strong bar shape. The Blaster fires plasma in balls, when the _Paw_ fires, the shots are more like… cylinder shaped. This gives it increased range, accuracy, and a bigger punch of plasma. SFX claims that this weapon built so strong, it can even be used as a melee weapon, like… a _staff_. Take a few more shots then gather up, everyone back inside the hanger, double time."

The Slayers put their weapons together and stepped back into the seemingly dark hanger. The fox held the Mapaw pistol in one arm and the silver case in the other. When they reentered the large hanger, a tall pillar stood where they had just been briefed on the Mapaw. It was a tall and wide cylindrical case.

Ramirez sat on the hood of the jeep. "If you guys were impressed with the M1, then this next one is going to be a killer."

The German Sheppard unlatched the pillar. Two doors parted from the center out. Fore lights illuminated a black and silver suit that hung in the pillar. A helmet was suspended beside it. It was dark black, with a silver, mirror like visor, similar to that of the one of the Hook Echo. The suit was armored with steel plating, and small slits of loose fabric for the joints, but little was left exposed for that. A flat, bulked pack was left on the back. The black fox's jaw dropped open. On the left shoulder plate, was a black star, a small imprint of _Corneria_, and had _his_ name and number. All was written in black against the silver shoulder plate.

The Rottweiler Nathan Parks took control of this one. "This is the one thing that makes you Slayers. SFX designed this one too. This is the latest in armors, and costs a pretty penny to make, but for you, it is completely gratis. The armor thrives on nanotechnology. To an extent, it can repair its self in combat, and is mostly plasma shot proof from small arms fire. The Blasters fixed to a fighter would rip it and you in half though. It is vacuum sealed, so it is safe to use in outer space… as long as the helmets on. The nanobots also nearly double your strength. This futuristic armoring is known as the _Vortec_."

The dog went closer. "Slayer Sixty-Six; please step forward."

The black fox moved to the front of the group and was instructed to get into the armor. He removed his boots, and Marine jacket. It was easy to get into. Once he had it on, the Master Chief gave him a small headset. He placed it on his head; the ear piece was a thin piece of steel that wrapped around his chipped left ear and sat just inside it. Over his left eye was now a slightly darker tinted piece of glass.

"The Vortec communicates wirelessly with this Heads up Display. Tells you the condition of your Mapaw too. Activate the armor Syxx."

The black vulpine moved his right paw over to his left wrist. His claw tips danced across the touch pad display, until the armor activated. He felt the Vortec shift around him, adjusting to be especially Syxx's. The HUD scanned massages across:

_Vortec Armor Activated.__  
Welcome Slayer Syxx.  
Vortec Armor is Ready._

The canine went on. "The HUD has a series of vision settings. You can tell it to zoom in, do heat vision, and night vision are also standard. Go ahead, and try out the armor Syxx, just be carful until you get used to the strength advantage. You yourself will be fine, just try not to hurt anyone else."

The vulpine jumped off the pedestal, tightened his fists in the gloves, looking down on the armoring that surrounded his body. "Pyro. Come here."

"Oh no! You can stay the h-ll away from me!"

The fox smiled menacingly. "I just wanna' try something." He took a step toward the raccoon.

Pyro clumsily wobbled backwards. "No! I don't care where you go! Go – go stand over there!"

The hound coaxed Syxx. "Just run him down. The armor doesn't just make you stronger."

Pyro's eyes went wide. He stumbled backwards and toward the open hanger door. Syxx leapt forward. It took him five long strides to catch the raccoon. The fox grabbed his collar. His legs fell out from under him as Syxx drug him back to the group.

The Slayer struggled to get away as he was being drug back by Syxx. "AGGHHHH!! No! Chase Cobalt! He likes it!!"

The fox was impressed. He was satisfied with it, perhaps not for everyday use, but practically for the battle field or when in training or a mission.

"Syxx." said Master Chief Parks, "There is a knife on your left chest plate. Would you please wield it?"

The vulpine placed his right paw over the left part of his chest. He placed a paw on the handle, wrapping his knuckles around the handle of the knife. The sheath was built into the armor, and was in the perfect place so that as soon as it was grabbed on the armor, it was in the right position to slash, but he slowly took it out. All the Slayers knew what he could do with a knife, so they took a step backward.

"Here you have the _Slayer Night Knife,_ and on your left side is a small weapon, but with enough punch to bring down anyone, without lethal consequences. It'll take them out for about eight solid hours, and make them wake up with one hell of a headache. The _Slayer Dart Gun_.

The blade had a comfortable shaped grip, with one razor sharp edge and a serrated blade on the opposite side of the blade. What stuck out from this seven inch blade was that instead of it being silver, it was a flat, rough black. Thus, making it the Night Knife.

Syxx growled as he reached for the dart gun on the waist line of the armor. It was a small black pistol. "This is what you a-s holes have been shooting us with, isn't it?"

"Well… had to take you down somehow. Slayers are getting pretty hard to stop. It proved to be affective."

Syxx nodded and smiled showing his golden tooth.

Parks ears perked up as he forgot one thing. "Oh yeah! Slayer, do you see the button, on the right corner of the touch pad."

"Yeah."

"Hit it."

"Yes Sir." Syxx pressed the button. His stomach filled with butterflies. He had to take a deep breath, to keep from fainting. He felt light headed for another second before it passed. He wasn't sure what happened to him. The Slayers that he was standing before all looked around the area where he stood, strangely. He wondered what was wrong with them, when he looked down at his own body.

He swore his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't see himself. The black fox focused his eye though the HUD, where he could see his body beneath him and his arms and front of him. But he could see his body only with the heat vision. To the naked eye, he was completely invisible.

The raccoon took over. "The Vortec is based on the same principle as the Hook Echo. With the fission-fusion pack, Syxx is completely invisible, until he is fired upon, or he himself fires a weapon. If the shield overcharges, then it may need a minuet to rekindle its self. If it is deactivated manually, it does not need to recharge before it is put back to use."

Kyla couldn't believe her eyes. He was there just a moment ago, and right before her eyes, he was gone. She never had seen anything like it. Slayers were going to be completely unstoppable if this was good enough to be true. She stood beside Pyro, and took a deep breath as something grabbed the collar of her jacket. Both she and Pyro levitated off the floor of the hanger. Pyro squirmed and choked, but she on the other hand, felt perfectly safe within the hands of Syxx.

She could feel the raw power of the Vortec, and when Syxx deactivated the cloaking he was there suspending Kyla with one paw and Pyro in the other. He smiled evilly between the two, imagining the havoc that he could wreak with the Vortec armoring. It was time to get even with the world.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Lines of troops filled the runways of the Cornerian Military Base. The sun beat down on the tarmac, reflecting half of the heat back up to the soldiers. Most wore the light green of the Armies Infantry fighter; fewer were in pitch black uniform of the Cornerian Space Marine Corps. There were also some in white and blue uniforms, being the Navy and the Space Fighter Force.

There were hundreds and hundreds of them. All of them marched in sync with one another. The Military moved as one. All of them had the same mission, and that was to keep the planet and the Lylat system safe. They all moved at the same time, and all came to a halt at the exact same moments. They all turned toward the podium. Dozens of officers stood there, admiring the work that they had put into their troops.

Peppy Hare took the stand, looking down on everyone else, minus the officers that stood with him. He adjusted the glasses on his head. He spoke into the microphone that blasted out over the airstrip. His voice though had become frail with time, still blasted out, just as commanding as ever.

"Congratulations, you are all now, an official part of the Cornerian Military and Armed defenses. Whether this is you are an army man, a naval soldier, a pilot, or a Marine, you all committed your time and effort to be the best that you can be. We thank you for that commitment, and know that each of you will go far with your career with us, and will do your very best to protect the planet of Corneria, and the Lylat system to what ever threat that we may come against."

The General looked out over the dozens of squads. He could see the green, the black, the white, and the blue. But… in the very center of everything, was an unfamiliar audience. They were none of the four regular colors that he was used to seeing on graduation day. But the old man knew vaguely who they were. They were the unmentioned, and the unknown of, and yet, still perhaps, the most important part of them all.

This particular squad of three ranks was painted with dark black with silvery marks. None of their faces were shown. All of their identities were concealed by a silvery mirrored visor fixed around a black helmet. They, were all the finest. Slayers weren't out for who was right or wrong. No matter what's been done, they did just as they were told. They had no consequence. They cared not of their aftermath. Slayers were individual armies of one, and each one could get the job finished just as fine as the other.

While the residents of Corneria were safe at home, each Slayer marched alone.

Thus…  
The Slayers were born.


	25. The Agent for Change

Author's Note:  
Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul Art Wall has been created on main FanFiction profile. If you would like to submit art please E-mail or PM me.

Keep it Open,  
SyxxFox

* * *

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXV**

**The Agent for Change**

* * *

_"Want it, You got it,  
You're sorry,  
You bought it,  
You're sliding,_

_Want it, You got it,  
You're sorry,  
You bought it,  
Can't hide it,_

_Tell me who do you see,  
'Cause you look a lot like me,"_

**THE OFFSPRING **_**– "A Lot like Me"**_

* * *

"So… where do we start Sir?"

The young raccoon Sergeant stood perfectly straight in the office of the Commissioned Officer. The Colonel seemed to ignore him for a moment. He finished writing away on the numerous documents on his desk. The Sergeant waited in his place obediently, until Harper was finished what he was doing.

The orange feline paused for a moment and put down the pen. "What do you mean Sergeant?"

"Sir? I mean, what do you want me to do with the Slayers?"

The feline leaned forward in his seat, and placed both paws on the desk top, wrapping them around each other. "The Slayer's training is complete Sergeant."

"I understand Sir."

"So? Then what's the problem?"

"Slayers were… _bred_ to kill Sir. This is two years in the making, and rebellious activity in and around the system has never been higher. When do we deploy the Slayers?"

"Slayers cannot be deployed Sergeant. Technically, they don't even exist."

"Sir... with all due... ugh… permission to speak freely?"

"Granted."

"Thank you. The Slayers are here, we might as well use them. Just the forty so of them can have this system cleaned up in no time."

Colon Harper leaned back into his large chair. "Each Slayer will be assigned a task as they come. It doesn't matter what Slayer gets sent to which assignment. Each one will complete it just as fine as the next."

"Yeah, but what about Starwolf? O'Donnell must have… maybe thousands of goons around the system. We can make quick work of that."

"Sergeant, you're no longer needed to run Slayer."

"But… it's been two years. I can't go back to training regular soldiers. Not after that."

"If you would like, I do need someone to help with assigning and finding the Slayer's tasks. You still get to work with the program and spend time with the Slayers."

"Sir, I don't have the rank to authorize-"

"You do now, congratulations _Lieutenant_."

The raccoon cocked his head sideways. Promotions didn't regularly happen like this. There was a formal way of doing it.

The feline went on. "I took care of the paper work."

"Uhh… Thank you… Sir."

"As for Starwolf and his rebellious forces… cut off the head of a snake, and the body will die."

"What if that doesn't work? Someone else will just take his spot."

"I don't think the rebels will have an easy time deciding that. It could cause their whole system to collapse."

"Then there's just a whole bunch of smaller groups."

"They will have wars within each other and will make it easier for us to clean up. A Slayer is the agent for change Ramirez."

"Sir?"

"Lieutenant, bring me Syxx."

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

It always seemed to be cloudy and miserable here. The palace in the sky never seemed to escape from the rainy and thundering weather of the planet Sauria, not since he had been here anyways. He had seen her here once before, when he had returned the first Krazoa Spirit from the face of the planet. It was hard for him to understand the magical force that the planet withheld, especially for the fact that his life, he had been surrounded by modern Cornerian technology. It didn't make any sense to him.

Fox McCloud walked to the very top of Krazoa Palace. He had seen this girl once before. It was the last time that he returned a spirit. He found it easy to get lost in her radiant blue fir. He wondered what she would think if she knew he was looking at her like this. She was more of a secondary objective, but it was his job to help.

Fox looked up at the blue vixen, surrounded in a crystalline casing. This wasn't even where he was supposed to return the Krazoa to; he just wanted to see her again.

"…Fox…"

"…Fox…"

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

"Fox."

The black vulpine shook his head hard. His eyes sprung open. He wasn't sure what woke him up. He looked out the windows of the Hook Echo's canopy. He saw nothing but hundreds of thousand of white, yellow, and blue speckles of stars. Syxx took a deep breath, and calmed himself. He read over the gauges of the fighter, ensuring that everything read to be green. All the charges were full, and the engines were idling, pushing him through space. The Hook Echo would have warned him if anything dangerous had come to view. He himself was invisible on the radar, but they could still visibly see him for the time being. But that was pretty slim. Space was big.

He sighed, resting his cheek in his palm, which led down to his forearm witch was in turn, propped up on his armrest. His eyes wondered around the cab of the fighter, looking at the once empty hooks and latches which now held items like, parts for the Mapaw, his helmet and spare parts for the Vortec, which he was currently wearing.

He could feel butterflies in his stomach. He knew his mission well. The dark Slayer didn't even bother to read the intelligence report on the foe he was about the fight. He knew him well. The fox knew him as Wolf O'Donnell, a man that has been trying to kill him his whole life time. Team Starwolf also took what he had cherished most. Krystal.

He was more then happy to oblige, and go after Wolf. But, the downside to this mission was, that he would probably see Krystal, but Krystal wouldn't see him. It made him smile, he never wanted to see or hear of her again, and he knew that unlike him, she lived with regret. He saw her at his own funeral, and how she acted. It made him happy. But before they all knew it, Wolf would be dead… and to them, it would be for no apparent reason. Someone in the hideout would take the fall.

"Fox."

Syxx felt his heart give one hard beet before his training slowed it. His listened closely again. The cockpit was completely silent, but he had patients. It would still be another few hours until he neared Wolf's hideout. He minimized his movements, only listening to the lightness of his breath. He waited for a long time, and thought it was just his mind screwing with him. He _never_ got pre-battle jitters anymore. Not since he had become a Slayer.

"Fox."

The vulpine's black ears perked. He paused for a moment, without removing his head from the propped forearm, and opened all the comm. channels.

He took a shallow breath, stroked his gold tooth with his tongue and spoke. "Who's there?"

It took a moment for the answer to come. "I know who you are."

The fox lifted his head from his propped paw, now taking the matter a little more seriously. "Who is this?"

"Don't you recognize me? My son?"

Fox wrapped his paws into tight fists. The gloves of the Vortec multiplied his strength. "You." He growled. "I should have known."

"Fox McCloud… my son… what has become of you?"

The dark fox panted and laughed. "I'm not Fox McCloud. Fox died over two years ago. I'm all that's left over."

"You should be ashamed of yourself Fox. The people you hurt, the ones you left behind. You're acting completely selfish."

Syxx could still recall the days that he did care. A solitary contact with his father would have meant the world to him. But that didn't matter these days. There was no mental war within. He didn't care for James McCloud, his own father. Syxx never felt ashamed for what he had done, and this wasn't about to change it. Not over this.

The vulpine started to get angry with the voice over the system, knowing that he had been found out for the first time. "I'm acting selfish am I? Not the ones that left me, the ones that expected me to be a hero and to be strong while I was ignored?"

"I understand that-"

"Hey pal. I don't give a f-ck, if you understand or not. You're telling me, that I'm acting selfish? Where have you been my whole life _old man_? Where are you today? Are you that much different then me? I'm still doing my job, so you just wanna' f-ck off and leave me alone?"

"There's no escaping who you are."

"I don't care much for your philosophies, you're too late. It's too late for Fox. Now how did you find me here? How did you know?"

"You're my son."

"No. I'm not. I'm Syxx."

"That's just a label. You're still the same person. Your name changes nothing."

Syxx glanced over the radar, but it was completely empty. "Where are you?"

The voice of the older vulpine went silent for a moment. "You're a disgrace to the McCloud name."

"I'm no disgrace. Fox McCloud died a hero, and that's how everyone will remember him. I'm best off forgotten. Now, how'd you find me?"

"I know everything all about-"

The black fox finished his _father's_ thought. "Then you should know that you're too late, and about what happened to me to make me who I am, and if you know everything about me, then you know that I've moved on. I'd suggest you do the same."

"Don't you know what you put people through? What about Peppy?"

"Peppy was too busy for me. He had an army to run, he didn't care about me."

"That's not true. What about Falco? Bill? Slippy? Fox… what about Krystal?"

The black vulpine laughed, closing his eyes. "You read the headlines, she is responsible for my… Fox's death."

"You have no idea what you have put her through, what you are putting her through, do you?"

Syxx looked down at the radar as it blipped. A small object appeared on it, trailing a distance behind him. The Slayer was bred to kill. To him, it was second nature, just as natural as breathing. His father meant nothing to him. All Syxx needed was himself. He took the safeties off his weapons. "Don't think I'm above killing you."

"How can you say that?"

"LOOK!!" The black fox snapped. "Why are you being so tough on me!? What about you!? All my life, I've been wondering if you were dead or alive!! There's probably people wondering the same about me!! I don't give a f-ck!!" He calmed down with a few deep breaths and finished. "Tell me, who do you see? 'Cause, you look a lot like me."

He pressed a button on the Hook Echo's controls, cutting off the radio before there was a chance to reply.

He grit his teeth together, hard. His paws rolled into tight fists. He never thought this day would come, especially after his phase change. It was true what he said, it was much too late to save Fox. Part of him wished that his father came along before he "died." But the majority of him was angry that he ever showed himself again, and the time wasn't exactly opportune.

He took a deep breath calming his nerves. It wasn't good to get this tense before a mission. He had to cool himself. He was exited though. It was his first mission, and was such an honor to him. Even if another Slayer was sent, he wouldn't have let them go. He wanted to put an end to this man. He wanted to be the one that killed Wolf O'Donnell. And if anyone were to get in his way, then that would be too bad for them.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Syxx sat straight up in his seat. He looked on the radar. He knew now that he was here. He remembered Sargasso Hideout. It had been years since he had last been here, but he remembered it as if were yesterday. It brought back memories that he didn't want to see. The fox remembered defeating Wolf, and his team here. He remembered his team being there. He remembered Krystal being there, and he knew that she was still here. This would be closest he will have been to her in years.

He saw it before it came onto the radar. It still had the same shape, but many more compartments had been added onto it over time. Asteroids still surrounded it. The large meteor rocks spun around the hidden base. He guessed Wolf still thought he was being sneaky, but the Cornerian Military and Navy had known where the hideout was for many years now.

He let up on the engines. Since the last time he was here, there was much more activity around the base. Wolf sure did have a lot more forces since he last checked up on him. Maybe he was getting a little spooked of a naval attack on his base, and put out patrols.

How Syxx would have loved to hit the thrusters and fight all of them, but he wouldn't be able to go in there with the Echo. Not this time. He was invisible on radar, but to be visually invisible it meant he would have to cut out the engines of the silver ship. The F1 would have to sit this one out, but he still needed to get close enough to get into the base.

His trained mind worked fast. He watched the large passing meteors, easily ten times the size of his ship. He knew what to do now. He turned the silver and black fighter toward a rock. It had a slow rotation, so he had to ensure, that he did it right the first time to not damage any parts on the F1. Soon, it came to a halt on top of one of the rocks.

All became silent, after the landing gear latched the ship tightly to the spinning rock. He waited in the silence for a moment, just thinking.

He sighed, eyes drifting around and making sure the he was calm enough. The fox reached a paw to a latch. He grabbed the flat back helmet with a gleaming silver visor. He placed that on his lap, and put on the HUD. Syxx ensured that it communicated correctly with his armor before placing the helmet over it.

A _hiss_ came from the sides of the seals of the helmet and the Vortec. The HUD verified that there was a successful seal and started providing him with oxygen and recycling his air. The fox tapped the touchpad of his Vortec, linking him to his ship, so he would always be able to find it.

Syxx unlatched the seatbelt coupling, now grabbing down toward the floor, where his Mapaw sat on a hook. The Vortec and his HUD recognized the weapon and showed its status. It was ready. With both paws, he pulled the Mapaw to his chest, and latched it to the armor plating on his front side. It was now out of his way, along with a rifle barrel and stock that attached to the outside of each of his thighs.

Without looking he moved a paw to the black knife that sat over the left side of his chest. He let go of the handle and smiled. "Let's do it."

He tapped at the controls of the Hook Echo, and engaged its camouflage. The canopy became a vacuum as he commanded. The canopy opened as he commanded. Now, everything was dead silent, the only thing that reverberated though the atmosphere of the Vortec was his own breath.

As left the Hook Echo, and closed the canopy it disappeared altogether. He hung onto an invisible panel, knowing he would just float away if he let go. Syxx looked above him, where the hideout now was. If he missed, he would be lost forever… well until they tracked him down by the chip in his neck. He might still survive if he missed and another Slayer was sent to pick him up.

He waited, using the zoom on his HUD, trying to tell when the right moment to jump was. He knew it was nearing, and he had done longer jumps before. He knew he could make it; it was only a kilometer away. It was a short jump.

Syxx bent at the knees, glancing down at the invisible structure he stood upon. He looked up one more time and jumped.

He grunted as he left the huge rock. It was silent as he flew though space. The Slayer flew like a missile, straight and true. He pressed a button on his armor, and he became invisible.

A trio of dark grey ships flew at him, but turned off. Syxx activated the heat vision on his armor. He liked being able to see his arms and legs. The hideout neared him fast. He wondered what velocity he was traveling at.

He was just about to hit the steel wall of the space base and he sighed calmly to himself. "Ahhh sh-t."

He reached across his chest and gripped the blade of his knife. His body slammed into the side of the hideout. Before his bounced off, the fox wedged his blade between two panels of the smooth surfaces, and drew himself into the wall. He shook his head and snapped out of it. All the air had been pushed out of his stomach, he breathed hard to get it back.

The cloaking had discharged, and he deactivated the heat vision. He feared looking down at the Mapaw on his chest. It had taken most of the blow, but when he did look it at, it remained completely intact, and the Vortec claimed it still worked.

Syxx remained motionless on the side of the wall until he could reactivate his cloak. The Slayer crawled along the side of the base. He looked for the plasma gate that let ships in and out of the base while still keeping the atmosphere in. He had used it with his Arwing when attacking the base years ago.

There was one on each side of the base. It didn't take long to find one of the two. Syxx stuck his head through the blue watery wall, and instantly because confused. Everything was upside down, when all of a sudden; his arms couldn't touch the walling anymore.

He moaned again. "Ah, f-ck." He knew what the problem was.

He began tumbling through the atmosphere of the hideout as the artificial gravity took effect. He had been on the ceiling, and before long, hit the floor. The amore _thumped_ loudly as his back hit the flooring of the hanger.

Syxx scrambled to his feet. He spun around. Five apes stared directly at him. His heart raced. He bared his teeth behind the visor and wielded the Mapaw pistol form in his paw. He held his fire, wondering why they were looking at him, and not firing their Blasters in return. The reason was that they couldn't see him, but they had heard him. His HUD still said that his cloaking was activated.

His heart calmed, and he placed the weapon back over his chest, while taking out his knife. Without making a single _tap _of his boots, he disappeared into the shadows of Sargasso Hideout.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Wolf sat in front of the TV. His life had become pretty boring the past few months. Though he had been doing a lot of recruiting, they were all just scum, mostly in it for the money, or the spite.

Leon was still his normal arrogant self, and Panther sill hung around to. Krystal, had left their team years ago, and to this day, they all still wondered where she had gone. When the day that announced that she had been responsible for Fox McCloud's death had rolled around, he became jealous of her. Though, he knew that she had little if nothing to do with it, he wanted his tag on Fox's death. Not Krystal's

There was nothing he could do about it now though. Fox was dead, and Krystal was as good to him as dead. It had taken a lot of the excitement out of his life. He still wanted his revenge on Fox.

The wolf soon grew tired of watching TV and retired to his chambers. As he came to his large room on the top of the hideout, the silvery doors opening as he commanded. The room was dark.

"Lights on." The large Lylatian stated.

The bright semi-blue lights faded in, marking the perimeter of the room. As he walked in, the door shut behind him. He sighed, making his way toward the bathroom. He paused. Something was out of place. Something was not right. It was probably Leon steeling stuff from his room again. But after a quick glance nothing seemed to be missing. In fact, there was something extra.

The wolf stepped toward his nightstand. He looked at the object. "What's this?"

He picked up the black and silver item. He spun it in his paws. A bright silvery visor took up the front. He could see a diluted reflection of himself in it. He spun it around again. On the back, was a small white star on a panel that dipped into the back of the helmet.

"What the…" He slowly turned around, tossing the helmet in one paw, when he froze. A man stood five meters away from him. Black armor covered his body, with a few select armor plates that were in fact silver, like the shoulder pads.

"Who the h-ll are you?"

The man stood there. His head was slightly lowered. The fox stood in a wide stance. His arms slightly out from his sides, his gloves open, and his fingers were bent a little to. An expressionless and emotionless look covered his face. His black fur gleamed while a white strip of head fur jetted backward. A small glass screen covered his left eye. He looked like a true warrior.

"How'd you get in here!?" Wolf said, becoming aggressive.

"You're Wolf O'Donnell."

"These are private quarters, and I don't call security. I'm my own."

"That will work fine for both of us then."

"What do you want?"

"Do you know who I am?"

"Would I have asked?"

"I suppose not."

Wolf got angrier. He wanted to pull out his Blaster and just shoot the fox, but there was something familiar about him. It didn't matter. He was a trespasser, and obviously smaller, therefore he was going to be weaker. Wolf growled and stepped toward the man. He drew his paw back, and swung in anger.

He was sure it would be a dead on hit, but it wasn't. The man still stood there, now a little more to his left. Wolf tried again. He swung. He felt a paw grabbing his flying wrist, pulling it toward the ground, as the mysterious man's elbow cracked the side of his head.

Wolf stumbled forward and away from the smaller fox. He was getting mad now. "I want you out!"

"I can't do that."

"Why!?"

"I can't leave with you still being alive."

Wolf laughed. There was no way that someone this small was going to take him down. The wolf crouched and lunged. He piled into the chest of the fox, but before he could grab him, he the vulpine was already to his feet and plucked him from the ground.

"Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard?"

Wolf struggled.

"I guess that's the hard." Syxx smiled. He grabbed the larger wolf harder and tossed him through the air. Wolf slide across the table, taking everything that was on it, with him. He jumped to his feat, now becoming worried of his attacker's strength.

Syxx walked around the room. He paced, looking at the wolf, intimidating him. His smile slowly faded and he became serious once again. "Where's Krystal?"

"What?"

"I said, where's Krystal?" he repeated himself with the exact same tone.

"She fled Starwolf years ago."

Syxx sighed, and nodded. He made his way to the edge of the room. "Run."

Wolf growled at him. Knowing it was a trap.

Syxx laughed from the back of his throat. He knew what his long time enemy was thinking. He tossed the Mapaw to the floor, and kicked it away from him. "Go."

Wolf thought hard. There was no way he was going to be upstaged by this comparable runt. He had no idea where he had come from or who he was, but he couldn't let him win, even if it meant that he had to fight dirty. He thought about the Blaster in his holster. The fox now had no weapon; there was no way that he could win now.

"What are you waiting for?" Syxx grinned. "Go."

"What did I ever do to you?"

"You have no idea."

The wolf roared. He reached a paw down to his Blaster and pulled it upward. Before he could fire, he felt an incredible pressure on his chest. He stared in horror as his paw started to shake, and the pistol fell and_ clattered_ to the floor. His eyes changed their focus from his shuddering paw to the black fox. The man stood, one foot in front of the other, a fisted paw pointing at him, holding his follow through.

Wolf could feel his breath begin to shorten. He slowly looked down at the wound in his chest. A black handle stuck out of his the clothes over his chest. His grey shirt soon filled with red. The knife had lodged itself between two ribs, on his left side. He stood completely still, as the vulpine walked over.

Syxx placed a paw on the handle. Wolf looked up with an open jaw. The fox smiled at him, showing a golden tooth. He wasn't sure if he screamed, when the vulpine quickly slid the knife out of his torso, and at the same time kicked his frozen body to the hard, cold floor.

Syxx watched his old enemy's body tip to the floor. He was still alive, and still had the chance, and if help came fast enough, he just might survive. But that was a long shot. He sighed, and collected his helmet and Mapaw. Syxx made his way to the door and paused, looking at the grey body on the floor.

His turned away from the door and stepped back toward the wolf. He put the helmet on the floor next to Wolf and mounted the Mapaw to his chest. Syxx took knee, looking over the dying body of Wolf O'Donnell.

He met the wolf eye to eye. He was speechless.

Syxx laughed over him. "I gave you you're chance. Have fun."

Syxx activated his cloaking, disappearing right before the wolf's eyes, which were wide. It seamed like an invisible force picked up the helmet and as it made it higher in the air, it disappeared as well.


	26. Silent Side

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXVI**

**Silent Side**

* * *

"_Look around,  
Have you found?  
That you're faking,  
The words you say,  
Are insincere,_

_And now break,  
The walls,  
That surround me,  
The temperature is,  
Rising here,_

_Now change,  
Myself,  
My condition,  
The time you took,  
Meant everything,_

'_Cause I know,  
There's still beauty,  
In my heart,"_

**DAYFEED **_**– "Beauty in the Breakdown"**_

* * *

Maybe that would do it, maybe his past would haunt him no more. The infamous Wolf O'Donnell, leader of Starwolf was no more… or soon would be. Syxx loomed over his dying body, and placed the Vortec's helmet back on his head, securing the air lock. It was all too easy. Was Wolf really not that tough? Or had his years of Slayer perfected his combative edge, giving him the advantage over his long time foe? It didn't matter, the deed was done and it was just another day at the pit.

Syxx slid the bloody knife into its rightful place on the Vortec. He still wondered about Krystal. Wolf said that she hadn't been a part of Starwolf for many years, making it about the same time that he disappeared. Syxx assumed he was lying. Krystal wouldn't have fled again. Or would she have? He wished she could see him now. How angry he was, and the killer he had become. She would be so disappointed… and afraid.

The fox walked out of the Wolf's room. He knew all of Starwolf's rooms would be on the top of the base. That's were the important members were. Krystal was might still be here, somewhere.

He was amazed at himself. He didn't know why he cared so much. He never wanted to see her. He guessed that he just wanted to know where she was, so he could keep his distance or he wanted _her_ to see _him_. He paused in the center of the hallway. "_What if she can tell it's me?_"

That was a chance that he couldn't afford to take. She knew her way around his mind very well, or she used to anyways. She could always find his thought pattern. She didn't find him out at the funeral, but things change. He wasn't going to see Krystal; he would just have to take Wolf's dying word for it. Maybe she wasn't here.

Then, there was Kyla. The red vixen had put a lot of work into him, and helped him out a lot too. He liked to admit this though; Kyla was more of a help then Krystal could be. Kyla was elite, and stronger, faster and tougher, then Krystal. He wondered what it would be like if they ever met… Krystal was a Cerinian Warrior, but Kyla was a Slayer. That day would never come though.

The fox perished the thought. He focused his mind on his escape, making his way back to the hanger from which he had entered. His Hook Echo was a long ways off, and the target was small. If he jumped he wouldn't be able to hit it. He would have to find an alternate method of transport. He would have to steal a ship, and he knew just the one he wanted. He wanted the Wolfen.

Syxx looped around the rebels in the base, making careful attention to not draw any attention to himself... yet. Though he could probably take on any forces that got in his way, it would cause alert. Then, Wolf would be raised, and when he didn't answer, everything could go to h-ll in a hand basket for him... and it would be fun. He rather enjoyed scaring Marines as they struggled to bring him down and to survive. He's killed more then his fair share of _allies._

The vulpine froze as he heard footsteps. A small group of apes, walked toward him down the hall. He stuck himself against the wall, hoping he would be small enough to slide past, but he could tell that he wasn't going to be. Perhaps, there was some time for _fun._

Syxx took the helmet off of his head and armor. He shook his head allowing his short, pale blaze of head fur to spur backward, before tossing the helmet out in front of him. After leaving his paw, the black and silver helmet was visible. It bounced to the floor, and rolled sideways to the feet of the soldiers. The vulpine slipped the blade out of its sheath on his chest. He took a low stance, while rolling his knuckles over the blade. He deactivated his cammo.

The three apes stumbled as their steps came to a stop, as they all watched the helmet rolled to their feet. This silver face plate glared back at them. They all turned their gazes upward.

"Hey! Whose that guy!?"

"Hey pal! You're not allowed here!!"

Syxx glared at the men. He calculated the distance, staring through the HUD. For a regular soldier, there was no way that he could leap that far, but he wasn't a regular soldier. When he saw the men drawing for their weapons, he lunged through the air, coming upon them in a single bound. He had practiced in the simulators and on Marines but here there was no limit to how brutal he could make his kills. No matter how ruthless he was, it didn't matter, this was his job.

The jagged blade sliced through the air. He analyzed the time, the situation, and his head gave him an answer. The fox slammed the blade down on one of the ape's collarbone. He felt it crackle as it splintered, and the serrated edge sawed through bone. He let go of the blade, leaving it in the man, and spun his body through the air. His left armored fist made contact with another ape, sending him back into the wall. Each movement and swing was multiplied in force and speed by two, as the nanotechnology in the Vortec worked to amplify Syxx's strength.

The vulpine's adrenalin kicked in and everything seemed to be slowed down from there. While spinning, with his non-dominant paw, he lugged the Night Knife from the collarbone area of the first ape that had not enough time to drop and was still standing. He felt bones crack and shift as he drew the blade. He could see a thick trail of airborne blood droplets as he drew the knife out and slashed it clean across the throat of the second troop. Leaving one still alive and Syxx had already predicted his action.

He glanced over his shoulder, looking down the silvery hall. As he had anticipated the last one had made a break for it. Syxx tossed the knife through the air with his left paw. He could hear it cutting the atmosphere as it spun seemingly uncontrolled. He turned his body around, now looking in the direction of the final one that was trying to escape.

The Night Knife still rotated through the air above him. As he spun around, he caught the bladed end in his _right_ glove with so much care, and so precisely, that even if it were his bare paw, then it wouldn't have even scratched it. The fox tightened his grip around the blade, and brought it over his shoulder. With the step he took forward, his right arm and knife went forward too, the razor blade leaving his paw.

He saw the black bladed knife twirl through the air. He tried for a moment to count the rotations, and gave up. He knew what he was doing, and knew how the knife would react. As the ape was just about the round the corner, he dropped as if he were just hit by a tank and the weapon plowed into him with a strong _shuck_ sound. The knife hit him with such force, he front flipped and landed on his back.

Syxx closed his eyes, drooping his head toward the floor and listened. His breath was calm, and nothing around him made a sound. He opened his eyes and grimaced at the floor, and picked up his helmet. He preferred taking it off during combat, and while using his knife especially. He could feel the evil part of him from within though; he knew that he could have done it easier. He had the Mapaw. Syxx found no _fun_ in simply shooting his _victims_. He wanted them to see who killed them. The last thing that he wanted going through their minds was his golden tooth and silky, jet black fur.

The vulpine placed the helmet back on his head, and analyzed the mess that he had made. He was nearly standing in a thick sticky pool of blood, and if that wasn't good enough, the walls had been painted with a hefty amount red, which in some places was thick enough to start trickling down to the once silvery-black floor.

Syxx made his way toward his final kill, but more importantly to him, it was where his knife was. He peeked around each corner of the intersecting halls, before nudging the dead body over with his boot, pushing him onto his side. The fox smiled menacingly, taking knee to look at his work further.

The body already had a pool around it. The seven inch blade had buried itself to the hilt. This is what he had been training for. The black knife had hit with enough for to go clean through the neck. On the back, the handle struck out, and in the front, and a little off center, to the left, two inches of the bloody tip blasted through, and the rough side of the blade brought with it severed pieces of muscle tissue, skin tissue and fur. Yes, it wasn't often that a knife came with an exit wound, and it was defiantly ugly, but it made the dark fox smile.

The fox placed his paw on the hilt of the knife and lashed it out, bringing with it split pieces of tissues, and a steady airborne stream of even more blood, that fell to the floor and around the dead body, not mention on the Vortec. He grabbed the edge of the man's shirt and swiped either side of the blade, attempting to wash it; for all that it was worth right now. He slipped the Night back into his sheath. It wouldn't take long for the base to gain knowledge of this little _incident_, and connecting this with Wolf wouldn't be hard.

But still… they wouldn't get him. They didn't have a chance against a Slayer.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Syxx crept around the large hanger of Sargasso. Over the past few hours he had been watching ships come in and out. They had discovered the havoc of his killing spree quite some time ago, but they didn't seem to be on a super sharp lookout for him. He still wondered of Wolf, and if anyone had found him yet. The chances are that they had. It had been a while. But many feared to disturb him as well.

The ship traffic was at a steady pace; every once and while some fighters would come in, and some would go out, but that wasn't the problem for him. The trick wasn't getting his paws on a standard rebel Junker. He was on the lookout for something especially for himself. He was on the lookout for the sports car model that had to be somewhere in the base. Well, it was a sports car to their standards, but put up the Wolfen and the Hook Echo, the Echo wouldn't even have fun.

Syxx wanted to take what Starwolf had been flying around in all these years. The red Wolfen had hunted him, he wondered what it was like to pilot one, and that's what he was out to do.

He watched the activity around the hanger. There were many apes, and others of the Lylatian variety. But, he spotted no members of Starwolf, which he assumed the only two who were Leon and Panther, but there was always a possibility that Krystal was still here too. A burden that he still had to account for after all these years, sadly enough.

The vulpine found a dark ledge above the many substructures within the hanger, so he could look down on the ships coming in and out. He still waited patiently for a Wolfen to appear. Where else would they be? This is where they were stationed.

It took four hours for his patience to pay off. His ears perked up inside his helmet as a Wolfen fighter entered the base. He looked down upon it. A drop so far would surely break regular soldier's legs, thanks to the Vortec and his training though, that was all changed. Syxx stared at the canopy as it opened and a black feline hopped out. He growled deeply as he saw the red rose on the side of the Wolfen. Panther.

His anger built within. He didn't care much for this cat. Not after what he had taken from him, but Panther was not the objective, the Wolfen was. Syxx crouched lower and deactivated his Vortec's cloak. He placed a paw on the large pistol attached to his chest. The fox placed both paws on the pistol, and lifted it, placing the sights on the Panther's head. The forward secondary, grip of the pistol pulled the muzzle down. The vulpine focused and rolled two fingers into the dual grip trigger of the Mapaw. He bared his teeth, and pulled the trigger half way in.

He heard gunshots, and realizing he had not yet pulled the trigger, he stepped backwards, pointing the weapon at the beam which he stood on. A barrage of plasma rounds winged through the air, splashing where he had just been. Syxx knew now, he had been caught. The fox jumped from frame to frame of the substructure, gracefully, as balls of plasma flew past him. One hit in the wrong spot could wound him badly enough to slow his mission down. He took cover behind a box to activate his cammo. Then, after it engaged he made a break for it.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

"I think I got him!"

"Where is he!?"

"See that box on the third floor! He's right behind it! He hasn't moved yet!"

"Got it! Come on guys! Let's go get 'em!"

Panther looked up toward the ceiling of the base. The goons that Starwolf had hired were in frenzy. Nothing this exciting ever happened around here, so he could understand why. He placed a black paw on his own Blaster and drew it out, just to be safe. The feline took a few steps forward. His sharp eyes searched everywhere, but he never knew, that he could search for what he couldn't see.

He jumped and spun around as the clean canopy of his Wolfen shut on its own. "Whoa."

The black Lylatian raced over to it and climbed onto a wing. His communicator refused to open it, so he tried manually, but it was locked shut. And it was empty. He almost fell off the wing of the craft, when the next moment he blinked there was some one staring back at him from inside the craft. He thought it was himself for a second, when at closer look, he found a silvery mirror staring back at him.

The man inside took the helmet off, and Panther was staring at another black furred man. The man glowered at him, and showed a gold tooth as his muzzle bent into a wrinkled snarl. Panther's only reaction was to point the Blaster at the man, and fire.

Syxx watched Panther as he helplessly fired away at the strong canopy of the Wolfen. The plasma compacted into the Blaster left nothing but black marks on the outside. The engines howled to life, and the ship floated in the hanger. More small arms fire had directed toward him, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop the ship. The vulpine spun the ship around in the hanger, and started inching it toward the plasma gate that separated them, from the vacuum of space. Panther still stood on the wing, and before Syxx left the station, he jumped off. Disappointingly.

Syxx pressed the thrusters forward. Soon, the engines warned him of their condition. He was disappointed, somehow he had expected better of the ship. It was very cumbersome in size, and the inside was comfortable, yet not as large as the Hook Echo, which you could fit almost two into. He let the engines rest as he circled the base in his commandeered vessel. The radios alerted, and he turned them on.

"Who are you!?" He could tell it was Panther's voice.

"It doesn't matter who I am." Syxx answered.

"What have you come here for? Are you a part of the Cornerian Navy? I know I've seen you before!"

"Hmm… maybe you have. Where's Krystal?"

"Krystal hasn't been a part of this team for years!"

Syxx began to take interest. "Where is she?"

"No one here knows."

"Why did she leave?"

"I don't know. She didn't say. I think it had something to do with Fox McCloud. She really loved him. More then she ever loved me!"

Syxx laughed in return.

"I answered your questions, now answer mine. Who is this?"

"You'll never find out. Technically, I don't exist."

"Wolf will never let you get away with this!"

"Wolf?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I'm an assassin, and I ever find out who this is… well I think it explains itself."

The vulpine chuckled from the back of his throat. "You're no match for me. You don't stand a chance."

"Maybe not upfront, but when you least expect-"

"My life thrives on such."

"Perhaps you shouldn't hide behind your cloaking all the time, and be fair. You wouldn't be able to beat me."

"Think what you wish, but I will always come out on top. There's nothing you can ever do to change that. I _always_ win."

"I can't wait until O'Donnell gets his hands on you."

"Oh, you mean Wolf O'Donnell? Yeah, you might wanna' check up on the big guy."

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Syxx walked into the Slayer's common room at the base of the barracks. A green jacket hung over his shoulders, with the same camouflage set matching his lower half. He loved the Vortec, but he preferred not to wear it all the time. He liked it for special occasions. It was better suited for killing.

Kyla giggled at him. "What's wrong?"

Syxx glanced at her as he sat down, trying to ignore the little vixen. This happened nearly every time he took a shower. His black fur would puff out for the next hour or so until it returned to normal. He let out a low growl in return.

She still smiled. "Oh, you're no fun."

"No, I'm not. Go hang out with Pyro." Syxx tried to brush down the fur on his head with both his paws. The white strip of head fur stuck back out when he took his paws off of it.

The vixen giggled. Kyla removed herself from the chair and took a seat next to Syxx on the sofa. "Rough day at the pit?" The vixen brushed a paw back on his head, trying to tame the wicked fur.

"You don't know the g-d-mn half of it." He stared at the blank TV.

"No." She sighed before perking up again. "But, I'd like to."

Syxx continued to stare. "I'd rather not."

Kyla waved a paw in front of the fox's face, attempting the break his stare. "Hello? Syxx? Are you there?" She then giggled.

"F-ck off."

Kyla frowned. "Well some one isn't getting a kiss."

"Leave me alone."

"Come on Syxx. What happened? I mean, you're usually mad, but really."

"YO!!" Pyro walked in through the door.

Kyla could feel Syxx start to get angrier, her eyes widened, staring at Syxx before she spun around on the sofa. "Pyro! No! This is not the time!"

The raccoon took another step in. "Why? What's sup!?"

"Shh! No more _talky_!" Kyla shouted.

"Why!?"

"Because, I think Syxx might actually kill you this time!"

"What did I do!?"

"Nothing, yet! Try to keep it that way for a while! And Pyro, I know this hard for you, but try not to do anything stupid for the rest of the day! If you do, don't let Syxx find out!"

Pyro scratched the back of his head. "You… do know that he's sitting right there… don't you?"

Kyla put a paw around Syxx's forearm. She could feel how tense he was. Syxx was going to spring at any moment. "Pyro! If you know what's best for you-"

She tried to stop the fox as he stood up. But as soon as that happened the raccoon bolted. Kyla never knew Pyro could run that fast without the Vortec. But Syxx was still heading in Pyro's direction.

She clamped around his forearm. "Syxx, he's gone."

"Let go of me." he turned around and loomed down on her; his teeth showing and the golden canine gleaming.

"Maybe that works on Pyro, but it doesn't on me."

"Fine." Syxx spun around and made his way toward the door.

Kyla still held his arm firmly. The fox was defiantly more powerful then her. Her boots _screeched _as the black fox drug her heels across the floor. "Syxx! Just settle down!"

The vulpine spun around, he looked dead at her. His teeth bore. She thought she could see her own reflection in the golden shine. She moved her eyes through his jetted fur, and loosened her grip on the fox. She hadn't seen him this angry in a long time. Something must have happened, perhaps something had arisen his past. She was slowly backing down, being intimidated by Syxx. She feared that he might take a swing at her. She knew what he was capable of when he was angry.

It wasn't often that she had to let him go, but she'd never seen him this mad, so the vixen let go of the man's arm, and watched him step out the door. "Syxx…" she trailed off. "… Wait."

The vixen whimpered.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

"I thought I might find you up here." The vixen came to the rooftop of the barrack. She looked at the shadow sitting near the edge on the opposite side.

The shadow sat there motionlessly in the night on the edge of the building. The moonlight seemed to be absorbed by the black fox's fur in some parts, but in others part, it gave it a silvery shine, which only seemed to happen at night.

Kyla stared at the back of the black fox, her head poking just above the top railing of the ladder, but Syxx still sat there remaining motionless, and silent. Kyla climbed the remaining steps of the ladder, and made her way over to Syxx. When she got closer, she now saw that he was wearing the Vortec armoring, not like he had been earlier. The vixen got closer, and Syxx still was silent, and frozen.

She put a paw on his shoulder, peaking over to see what he was looking at. The fox held the Vortec helmet with both paws, while resting it in his lap. Kyla saw her reflection in the silver visor, and Syxx's too. He stared at himself, using the helmet like a mirror. His face was emotionless, breathing lightly as he glared through the lens of the HUD, back at reflection of himself.

Kyla swallowed hard. "Syxx?" She worried for him.

He was still silent.

"You mind if I take a seat… with you?" Syxx's unblinking eyes never gave her answer, so she took a seat, hanging her boots off the edge. She remained silent with him for a while; he had not yet spoken or moved. "I thought it was… I thought I'd let you cool down a little while before I tried to talk to you."

Kyla was going to wave a paw in front of him, but she thought maybe she should leave him be. It was such a disappointment for her to see him like this, after all the work that she had put into him. At least he wasn't angry anymore. Not that she knew anyways. She looked out into the starlit sky, and the moonlight, before looking down onto Syxx's lap and into the visor of the helmet, meeting Syxx's eyes through the silver. His glare didn't flinch, his eyes trained on his own.

Kyla leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. "Syxx." She whispered in his ear.

Syxx continued to stare at himself in the helmet; everything around him quiet.

"Syxx? Come on. Please. Talk to me."

Syxx looked at himself for a moment longer. He sighed, and rolled the visor of the helmet around with his paws, reflecting the stars differently, before he placed it on the ledge of the building beside him. The Vortec head gear made a hollow _clunk_ as it was set down on the rooftop.

Kyla placed a paw on the larger fox's leg. The affinity of the touch was taken away by the steel protection of the Vortec armoring. Syxx lifted his paws to his head, and with both, took off the heads up display, placing it next to the helmet while still making careful attention to knock neither off the edge off the building. The fox ran both paws backward through his head fur, and scratched his skull.

Syxx drifted a paw over to the vixen's that sat on his lap, and slowly wrapped his paw around hers, ensuring to be gentle with the use of the Vortec. Kyla slowly grinned at him. "That won't do."

The vixen grabbed the vulpine's gloved paw. She rubbed the tough enhanced armored knuckle of Syxx. "With arms made of steel, how can you feel?"

The vixen detached the armored paw. It _hissed_ as it came undone. Kyla removed it and set it down beside her. She then put her paw into Syxx's, tightening it around his, and pressed her fingers into the palm of his paw.

Syxx bit his lip, and gradually bobbed his head, pointing his muzzle over the starry horizon, and glared at the moon. "It doesn't matter. Life is so surreal."

Kyla squeezed his paw harder. "You alright?"

Syxx just _mm'ed_ in return.

"Come on _sweetie_. Talk to me."

He was silent for a moment. "Kyla…"

"Yes, Syxx?"

"Thanks for being here. I don't know where I'd be without you. The time you take, means everything."

Kyla grinned, perhaps even the widest smile that Syxx had ever received from her. "I think that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say. I figure someone's gotta' keep you under control. Don't let Pyro get under your fur."

"It's not Pyro."

"I knew that. I just wanted to remind you. Do you need… to talk about it?"

"I don't know."

Kyla gripped his paw. "I think that means _yes_. Where'd you go?"

"Wolf is dead."

Kyla raised her eyebrows. "That was forward. Wolf?"

"Wolf O'Donnell." The fox said staring out at the sky. "The leader of Starwolf is dead."

"Isn't that a good thing though?"

"It is."

"Then, what's the problem?"

Syxx closed his eyes, whispering. "I don't know."

"Hey!" Kyla looked over her shoulder, at the top of the ladder, a raccoon's head poked up. She thought it was Pyro before realizing it was the Lieutenant.

Kyla kissed Syxx on the forehead, knowing it was too far away for Ramirez to know. "I'll be right back." She stepped over to the other edge of the building. "Sir?"

"Slayer." He nodded. "You're next assignments."

Kyla leaned over to grab the folders that the raccoon handed up. "Thank you."

"It's mostly small stuff; recon for the most part. Oh, and tell Syxx he did a great job on his last op. What are you two doing up here?"

Her heart froze for a second. "Nothing… just watching the stars."

"Umm, hmm… ok. I knew I shouldn't have paired you two up. You're probably the only one that can really talk to him. Seems to hate everyone else." The Army Man smiled and made his way back down the ladder.

Kyla blushed and tucked the two paper files under her arm. She turned back toward the other edge of the roof, and walked back over. Syxx had taken off the upper part of the amore, but he still wore the lower pants and shielded boots. He shifted his shoulders back, stretching them out.

Kyla handed a form to him. "Next mission."

Syxx sighed. "Great." Syxx took the folder, and opened it. He adjusted it so the moonlight would illuminate the white paper. He glanced over it; only reading certain sentences and bits of information.

Kyla did the same. "Recon… again. What'd you get? Something exciting?"

"Doubt it. It's something out of system. A bounty hunter thing I guess."

"Where's this?"

"I don't know… some place called _Kew._"


	27. Syxxth Sense

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXVII**

**Syxxth Sense**

* * *

"_Frozen, for the moment with fear,__  
Coping, with the prospect of losing sanity,__  
To all impending doom,  
I brace for tragedy,  
Chocking, and moaning,"_

**ALL THE BRIGHTNESS **_**– "Frozen"**_

* * *

_WHAAAMM!!_

"Son of a b-tch."

Syxx shook his head. He clung to the wall of the ship. His cloaking sparkled away and a slight alarm sounded within his helmet. The Vortec sure was tough. In the past week, he had pancaked himself into the sides of two separate space stations, on two different occasions. He saw a bright show of sparks as the Vortec skidded across the hull, and came to a stop as he found a secure handle to hang onto.

This ship was a lot harder to jump to then the static station of Sargasso Hideout. He had to calculate his movement compared to the orbiting station. He managed to hit it, while avoiding all of the other space junk that orbited planet Kew.

The planet, though had oceans of deep blue was a different story in orbit. Just from where he saw, there were large fragments of other ships, and debris that circled the plant and the ship he had planted himself on, which was no better. It was more like a large pillar then anything else, but was a collaboration of many other Cornerian Warships long out of date. This ship wouldn't stand a chance to a modern battle ship or frigate. The only part of the ship that seemed to be maintained was the name tag painted on the side, which read _Final Haste_.

Syxx's F1 Hook Echo sat among the space junk until he was able to return to it. It would be safe there. He needed to keep a low profile. He couldn't just go park in their hanger.

Syxx understood why the ship could not detect him on the radar though. The orbit was dirty. For most ships, Kew was their final resting place.

The fox didn't wait the time for his camouflage to charge. He didn't need it yet, and by the time that he did it would be charged. For now, the black armored fox crept along the hull of the ship. It was large and he had not yet spotted an entrance to the inside. It could take a while. He had to aim for the hanger. Wherever that was.

The fox hadn't paid too much attention to the mission at hand. Of course he had taken a quick overview, but he didn't care for this mission. This very ship was supposed to be host to a place were bounty hunters were trained and stationed. It bored him. He didn't care. His mission was to kill the captain of the ship. As far as the Navy knew, the captain was the commissioner. It was his job to kill him… or her. Either way, it didn't matter.

Syxx made his way to the belly of the ship. Or what he thought was. There he found a blue wall of plasma; a gate that separated them from the hostel environment of space. This time, he wanted to enter the hanger, a little more _gracefully_. He made note to what was up and down this time.

The fox activated the cloaking. He paid carful attention to which way the gravity was pulling. He crawled into the ship, silently. The hanger reminded him a lot of the frigates that he had been trained on as a Slayer. Many of these small hangers withheld Reneged fighters ready to fly at all times, but this particular ship had no ships in its hanger what so ever. The inside was empty. Perhaps they were docked somewhere else within. The pillar was very big.

Come to think of it, the engines weren't running either. Syxx began to wonder if the Intel that he had been given was incorrect. It wasn't something that was uncommon. He checked the HUD for the atmosphere and it read that it was stable. To him that said that the ships life support systems were still running. Someone had to be home. He kept the heat vision engaged on his HUD so he was able to see his own arm and leg movements.

Syxx assembled the Mapaw and brought it to his shoulder. He placed a butt on it and an extended barrel, with a scope. It wasn't the sniper form. It was a rifle, which increased the rate and power of each and every single shot that he fired form the weapon. He turned the safeties off and wrapped two fingers into the trigger. He placed his paw on the forward grip, which in the pistol form seemed useless.

The vulpine began creeping around the base. Silent and swift.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Kursed walked down the long grey halls of the Final Haste. Her boot echoes were the only sounds that went through the endless halls… the lonely halls. This ship was home to many rebellious fighters and bounty hunters. Many of the fighters were X-Mil. Most once a part of the Cornerian Military and became MIA or fled the planet after one of the many wars that the Lylat System had. Every day, the rebellious power seemed to grow stronger.

The blue vixen tightened the leather jacket around her shapely body. She brushed her hair back and tried to crack a smile but it just turned into an emotionless sigh. She sniffed the air, something was different. It smelled sweet, compared to the ships usual stale and old smell. Kursed shook it off, thinking nothing about it.

The vixen came to a corner, where the intersecting halls made a 'T' shape. She froze, cocking her head sideways for a moment. One of the man infantry fighters or X-Marines stood still in the center of the hall. The wolverine stood with wide eyes. Kursed was just about to tell him off, when she saw his boots life from the floor of the ship. She shook her head, raising an eyebrow. She had a hard time believing what she was seeing.

"-GAAH!!-"

Kursed snapped into action. She rolled her body back around the corner while drawing the powerful Blaster. She slammed her back against the intersection. She had no idea what had caused it, but she knew what had just happened. The man standing there just a moment ago was dead. She saw the airborne blood that came with a violent, yet invisible action. The droplets had painted the walls around the man.

Kursed bared her teeth. She pulled the action of the Blaster back, making it _click_. She kept her back to the wall, and peek around the corner. She kept the pistol down, making it an inline 'V' shape with her shoulders. She was just in time to see a dead and limp body bash into the wall, and fall down. A large patch of blood now clung to the wall, streaking as the wolverine's body bounced and slid down to the floor, red surrounding it.

Kursed swore to herself in a whisper. In the years she had been here. She had never seen anyone die while on the ship. She didn't know what she was dealing with. The man that had just died had been defeated so easily… and it scared her. She had never seen such force.

"What are you doing?"

Kursed turned her head quickly. "Shut up!"

"What's going on?"

A male feline read the vixen. Kursed directed him a series of paw movements. The X-Marines knew just what to do, it didn't take him long to decipher the code silently. He took a knee drawing the plasma rifle and pointing it at the corner. The feline too gave a series of paw signals to two other men behind him. They mimicked the grey feline's movements.

The lead X-Marine crouched, making his way to the corner. He sat at Kursed tall black boots, staring down the sights of his rifle and putting his weight on one knee. He lifted his left paw from the stock of the weapon, still keeping one on the trigger. He motioned it forward three times with a flat vertical paw. The other soldiers obeyed. The lead X-Marine pointed his weapon around the corner, as the other two advanced silently.

Kursed reached over the feline at her feet, pointing her weapon down the hall too. She watched the two Marines advance. They all had more powerful rifles as compared to her Blaster, so she let them go first, but followed quickly, closely, and silently behind.

The first Marine stepped past the body, and pointed the M27 down the rest of the hall, while the other went to observe the victim.

"One clean slice across the neck. He saw it coming. Broken back and some ribs too. Something threw him against the wall… hard. I would like to say he didn't feel a thing, but that would be lying."

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Kursed had never seen anything like that happen before. It had been over five hours ago, but they hadn't caught anyone. Patrols walked down the halls past her closed door. She, had been first thought of killing the man, but there was no way that she could have done it. There was an impact mark on the wall from the dead body. She wasn't strong enough to do that.

When she had to enter the halls, she kept her _eyes on._ But in the safety of her own room, she didn't feel the need to. She could tell there was no one here. As usual she was alone.

The vixen sat down on her bed. She reached under it, placing a paw on her staff, before moving it to the black box that sat there, as it had for the past two years. She kept all of her belongings here rather then on the surface of the planet. They were safer here. She wrapped both paws around the black box, and lifted it to her lap.

The vixen growled at herself. She hadn't looked at the contents of this box for so long. They still meant a lot to her. She still missed Fox. All the years hadn't healed her wounds anymore. Perhaps if time was the healer of all wounds; this would be a long time to come. She thought she would have felt better by now. But she didn't. She still loved to torture her victims, and watch them die. She still loved Fox.

The little blue fox growled and placed the box on the side of her bed. She leaned down closing her eyes. She ran her paws through her hair and scratched her head. Then, she froze. Something was wrong. Something was different. Kursed slowly looked up and around the room. There was nothing to be seen, nothing in her sight.

The fox closed her eyes once again. She looked through the room with her sixth sense. In a moment of silence, she knew she wasn't alone. She could sense another presence in the room. Whoever or whatever had killed the man in the halls of the ship was right there beside her. If she didn't act soon, she was going to die. Her heart started to beat faster and harder, in her chest and her ears.

She opened her eyes now. Kursed glanced to a dark corner of the room. She knew where it was. She then glanced at the Blaster sitting on the nightstand. She had two choices. Kursed didn't know if she could reach to her Blaster quick enough to shoot to kill whatever it was that stalked her, but on the other hand, she could wait it out a little longer, and perhaps get a chance to kill the… _thing_ before it killed her.

She glanced at the dark corner, then to her Blaster again. The vixen played it cool. She stood up from the bed, and turned her back to the dark corner. She placed a paw on the Blaster, and then held it in both paws. The little vixen wrapped her right paw around the grip, and pulled the receiver backward to polarize the first shot of the Blaster.

The gun made a _click_. She watched the shadow with her sixth sense. It was moving, but it was moving slowly. It began to encircle the room, not moving any closer or farther away from her. It remained far away from her. She knew that it could not come upon her that fast, but she was wrong.

She spun around quickly and felt the Blaster fly out from her paws, firing once as it twirled through the air. Kursed began to choke as a shadow grabbed her neck. She wrapped both paws around it trying to pry the invisible vice off. Her feat nearly lifted off the floor, as she was drug around the room. To her relief she felt the pressure of her neck dwindle. Kursed gasped as one of her paws was forcibly taken away from her neck. She felt a cold shackle grip onto one of her wrists. The shackle and chain pinned it to the wall, and then she was let go of, still being attached to the wall of the ship.

Kursed attempted to jump away, but she yipped as one of the three chains held her firmly on place.

The vixen snarled. "Where are you!?"

The vixen gasped in fear. A figure materialized out of the very air on front of her. She found herself staring back at a vixen, which was her. She was looking a wide silvery mirror. A black helmet encased the mirror. Valiant armoring was covered in flat black and luscious silver. The figure was looking down upon her, and the vixen slowly backed off before her attitude returned.

"Who are you!?"

The dark soldier ignored her. He turned her back to the vixen and began to walk away.

"Get back here!!"

Kursed regretted what she had said; right after it left her lips. The man stopped in place. He slowly turned around to face her. Kursed felt her heart start to beat faster as he walked back toward him. She backed herself to the wall as the man came up to her. She didn't want to make him any angrier. She was in no position to do that. The scariest thing was when the helmet came forward right to her face, and she couldn't see the being inside. All she saw was herself, trembling in terror. She froze in fear.

The super soldier gave her a once over and turned his back to her once again. He made his way over to the bedside. Kursed saw him eyeing the black box on the bedside. Her nose wrinkled as she roared. "Don't you dare, touch that!!"

The super soldier ignored her. He opened the box, and that was when Kursed had it. "LEAVE THOSE THINGS ALONE!!" Kursed screeched.

She could tell that he had not yet looked into the contents of the box. The silver visor continued to glare at her. Without looking, the soldier closed the box, and tossed it onto the bed. He made his way over to her once more and stared at her. She didn't back down this time. She had to stand up for her rights. She glowered back, looking at herself only, in the mirror that stood before her.

Kursed tried to bare her teeth. One of her paws was still free. She was caught blindly in rage. She threw her right paw forward, she waited for a satisfying hit, but her paw was caught with lightning reflexes, in a thick armored glove. The glove clamped down on her knuckle. She yelped in a high pitch, dropping her head to the floor. The following second the soldier let go of her paw. She looked back up into the mirror. Her heart beat hard in her ears as the man in front of her seemed to dissolve into thin air. Just like that, he was gone. Kursed choked on the air, not believing what she had just seen.

Kursed turned her head toward the door as security personal on the ship blasted through. They all took a low stance as they stormed in. The muzzles of their rifles searched the room. One went to her on the wall, and unclamped the vixen's wrist.

"We heard gunshots. Where is it?"

Kursed threw herself from the wall and plucked the Blaster from the floor. "I don't know where _he_ is!"

"Well he sure as h-ll ain't here! Come on! Couldn't have made it far."

Kursed closed her eyes. She tried to focus in all the confusion. She didn't know who it was but whoever had invaded the ship, was still here; in this very room. The blue fox opened her eyes. She watched the security personal in the ship begin to head toward the door. She could sense the invisible presence. He wasn't far, he was very close.

Kursed anxiously rolled her fingers around the grip of the blaster, and the index into the trigger guard. She raised the weapon in a single paw; she had no time to aim down the sights. She fired at the wall, shot after shot. The first three or four shots splashed into the grey barrier. But the next one, shortly after leaving the barrel, found its mark, in a beautiful display of lightning and sparks. The man became visible. Blue electrical current ran over his body.

Two more blasts of white hot plasma found their marks on the armoring. All hit in the exact same spot on the stomach. The armored soldier dropped to his knees and fell over, propping his body up with a single arm, while the other wrapped around his stomach. The security personal pointed their weapons at the man.

"Hold fire!" Kursed hissed.

The vixen made her way over to the soldier. Kursed kicked him in the stomach, giving more ache to the wounded area. The man didn't moan in pain, all she heard come from him was a calm statement. "Ah… son of a b-tch."

Kursed took a knee, putting both paws over his helmet. "Let's see who you really are."

It didn't take long for the vixen to take off the helmet. It _hissed_ as it was released. She pushed it away. The vixen tightened her grip on her Blaster, and pressed it underneath the chin of a black coated Lylatian. A strip of white fur ran back down his head. When she brought the fox's chin up with the barrel of her weapon to meet his eyes, she found something she thought she would never see. The black fox had a wide, open mouthed smile. It was like he was grinning in victory. A familiar golden tooth, glared at her, as a red line of blood ran down it, causing a drop of blood to fall from it, again, and again. Over one eye was a glass screen. She watched it as it focused in and out on her, and information was fed across it.

An X-Marine came up beside Kursed. The end of the M27 pressed up to the dark fox's head. The receiver of the weapon was pulled back, loading it. Kursed watched the black fox's face. He didn't flitch. He continued to stare at her. He licked the golden tooth, smiling and ready to die. She could tell just by looking at him, he feared not death. But there was something familiar about this man. Had she seen him before somewhere?

"Wait." Said the vixen.

The wolverine just looked down to her in return. She listened as a drop of blood fell from the gold tooth and patted the flooring, one after another.

"Keep him alive." She looked him dead in the eye. "I know this man from somewhere."

The dark fox still grinned at her. She growled, beginning to become inpatient. The vixen kicked him over onto his side. He now lied on his back, leaning on one forearm. Kursed now saw his exposed stomach. Perhaps the armor would have saved him form one plasma shot, but never that many in the same place. Burned blood clung to the plates of the suit. A large and familiar pistol latched to the chest plate of the man, a knife sat before his left shoulder, and a very small pistol at the waistline.

Kursed took out the small black pistol. She opened up the action, and saw a small dart inside it. The blue fox laughed, pulling it back and letting it _click_ forward. The man was still smiling and blood still dripped out of his mouth. Kursed pressed the dart gun up to his neck and fired.


	28. Eyes and I

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXVIII**

**Eyes and I**

* * *

"_The mask falls, and it's all,  
I can do to keep from running,  
The past is coming,  
The last to hear, the first to fear,  
As the lights are slowly stunning,  
I keep on numbing,_

_Lives pass through me,  
I've got one more life to live,  
Time eludes me,  
I've got nothing left to give,"_

**HYPNOGAJA **_**– "Nothing Left to Give"**_

* * *

The darkness. The consuming darkness. It surrounded him. He counted every moment, keeping track of every second that passed, converting them to minuets, and the minuets turning to hours. Soon they would turn to days, in the complete darkness. Soon after becoming conscious, he became aware of his restraints, one around the wrist of each paw, and one snug around his neck. A Slayer had been through so much worse then this. The darkness was all around him, he was thirsty, he was hungry, and he had never felt closer to home.

Hours past by, he kept track of every single one in the darkness, alone. Syxx listened to the sounds of the ship. Every so often some one would walk by the door that led to the long halls of the ship, and trail away. He didn't care much for attracting attention to himself. They obviously knew he was here. There was no need to make things any worse for himself. They were already bad enough.

He counted the hours go over thirty-eight, he had been alone in the darkness for such a long time. He felt himself begin to weaken. He had to follow the "three-three-three" rule to survive. Three minuets without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food… they could be bent, but virtually all led to death if pushed too far beyond their limits. He was a Slayer, and was bred to be pushed far beyond the limits of survival.

A crack of light fractured the darkness. Then the whole room lit up. Syxx emitted a silent growl as the bright light wreaked its havoc on his eyes. He knew he needed conceal both his own secrets and the all the military's information on Project Slayer. He sealed his mind shut from this stranger, sooner dying then revealing the deep dark history of his past, and the unprecedented torturous training of Slayer.

Kursed stepped into her room. The man that was festooned to the wall gave her a quick glance with his eyes only, and his gaze fall back to the floor. She laughed. Kursed stepped over to the table. She grabbed one end and slid it over to the view of the dark vulpine. The table was cluttered with bits and pieces of silver and black. All were components of the armoring that she had found the fox in. Now he hung on the wall with no shirt, and a pair of baggy camouflage pants, and the boots that she had let him keep. She had patched up the plasma scoring on his stomach, with a white bandage.

Kursed had single handedly disassembled the armoring. She looked at every piece of the armoring. She picked up a large plate of enforced steel. A sheath was attached to the plate. She put her paw on the hilt, and slowly drew out the seven inch weapon. Blood was dried onto the black edges of the blade. She looked over the weapon, on both sides; a small white star was on the edge of the weapon. She had found the same one in several different places, including on the shoulder of her _victim._

Kursed twirled tossed the dagger in her paw. "Who are you?"

She looked toward the man. He was silent. His face emotionlessly angry and he stared at her; but never said a thing.

Kursed laughed. She moved toward the fox and pressed the blade into his neck, slowly closing her eyes. She opened her sixth sense, and began to work her way into his mind. She read his thought waves. She tried to find his fears. She searched through the files of his mind, but in another moment her own powerful Cerinian mind flickered, and she was _kicked out_ of the black fox's head.

Kursed opened her eyes for a moment, just enough to meet the ones of the black vulpine, before he closed them. She frowned. This had never happened to her before. Maybe he wasn't weak enough yet, but if she left him for any longer, he could die, and there was so much she didn't know about this strange man.

She backed away, placing the knife on the table. When she looked over her shoulder, the man's eyes were open again, staring at her. Kursed picked up the pistol from the table. She recognized the silver and black gun from somewhere. Even though she knew that she had never held it or shot it before, it was so familiar to her. She put it down.

Kursed lifted the HUD to her head. She placed a wrist piece over her left arm and activated the HUD.

_Vortec Armoring Activated.__  
Warning Vortec Disassembled.  
Identity Unknown… Shutting Down._

The glowing screen over her left eye faded away as what she had learned to be the _Vortec_ shutdown. She tried to turn the HUD back on, but it failed time after time again. It must have been adapted to this hostage of hers. She wouldn't be able to get any information out of this. It was useless. The source now, was the half naked man that hung on her wall. She would have to confront him some how and get him to talk. She had to find out who he was, and what he stood for. She was hungry for his fear and his knowledge.

His mind was strong. But, how could it be so concluded? The only way it could be that way, was if he was ready to die; which he was. The only other option that arose to her right now was that he had no fears. But how was that possible? Everyone was afraid of something. She would find it in all due time. But she had to keep him alive, and she knew he was both thirsty and hungry.

"Are you thirsty?" She asked.

The fox remained silent.

Kursed made her way over to the washroom and filled up a glass of water. She brought it to the black fox. Since he had no way to drink she brought the water to his lips. "Drink up. It's all you're…" Kursed stumbled back and closed her eyes as the black fox drank a mouthful of water and spat it out, right into her face.

The blue vixen dropped the glass of water. It broke as it hit the floor. The blue Cerinian wiped the water off her face. She turned back to the black vulpine that hung on the wall, but his expression didn't change. He still hung with an angry, yet still expressionless look. He was neither proud nor ashamed.

Kursed roared. The vixen swung back an arm and stroked the black fox's muzzle with full force. As soon as her follow through was complete, she looked back toward the fox, he looked undamaged an unfazed by the attack. He resumed his expression, still staring at her.

"That was your one chance and you blew it!!"

The black fox remained silent.

Kursed growled. "So… you're name? Syxx? What kind of a name is that?"

He didn't answer.

Kursed went to the bathroom. She grabbed a towel from off a hook, and came back to the bedroom. The vixen rubbed her face, until it dried out.

She sat down on the bed, and sighed. She glanced up toward Syxx. She could have sworn that she saw him somewhere. She closed her eyes thinking back. It was years ago. Her heart leapt. She began to remember.

"You." She opened her eyes and gasped. "You were at Fox's funeral. Fox McCloud's funeral. How… how did you know him?"

Syxx didn't say a thing.

Kursed got up from the bed. She neared the fox and laughed. "My, aren't you a talkative one. The star. The one on you're arm. What does it mean?"

He said nothing.

She panted as a laugh. "Fine. Be that way. But soon you will be too weak, and I will take what I want."

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

The darkness was warming. It felt like home. Syxx bent at the legs slightly, relaxing the locked muscles. He did feel tired, but he was a Slayer. He had been through much worse. This was a cake walk for him. He began to count the time again, but lost it, eluding him. The last time he knew how long he had been hanging here, was thirty-eight hours. He had counted out another ten, but had lost track after that. He thought he may have fallen asleep at a time, but he couldn't be sure.

That still made it over two days. Two long dark and lonely days. He took a deep breath, pulling on one of the chains then the other, ignoring the one around his neck for the time being. His mouth was parched, and his stomach ached. He knew, if he were to die here, then all of his secrets would be kept safe, and lost for eternity. But, he already had his suspicions about this interrogator. The chances were low, but it all fell together so perfectly. How could it be? Could this blue furred vixen really be…

Syxx clamped one eye shut as the blackness was breached. The light from the door impaired his vision, and the plasmatic illumination of the room made it worse. It blinded him. He shut his eyes, but it went clean through his eye lids. He would have to wait until they adjusted and endure the pain. The lights stun slowly wore off.

Kursed produced a low evil laugh as the lights were turned on. The black fox squinted, but he was still alive. His mind had to be weak now. It had been over two days. No one could endure such lonely torture. Perhaps he would be a little more cooperative toward answering her questions now too. Soon, he would fall right into her paws. She would not be defeated.

"So, are you ready to talk now?"

The fox looked from the floor up to her. His gaze locked back onto the vixen, as it had been the previous time. The black Slayer didn't say a single thing.

Kursed brushed her bangs out of the way. "Still being stubborn I see. That's not going to get you anywhere here. I'd suggest that you smarten up."

The vixen picked up the large dual gripped pistol with one paw. She passed it over to her left. The vixen growled, as she clamped her right paw around the larger fox's neck. She grinned as she heard him choke, and struggled to breathe. She could tell how much that he wanted to kill her, but there was nothing he could do. She placed the other paw with the weapon in it to the side of his head, and the vixen closed her eyes.

She attempted to enter the strong vulpine's mind. It failed time after time again. She clamped down harder around his neck, he thrashed his head about. She tried again to read the vulpine's mind. Then he stopped moving. She could feel his breath. He was still alive, but he had calmed down. She could feel a strong barrier that kept her out of his thoughts. But it was something that had never happened to her before. What was wrong?

Kursed shut her eyes hard. She tried harder to break the mental barrier. Her conscious sparked, and she leaped backward, releasing the fox altogether. She was frightened. She could have sworn a large set of wet, sloppy jaws just had eaten her whole. As the jaws had jumped at her, a horrible scratching sound had resonated from the black fox's mind right to hers. He was good. He was good at mind games. He was protecting secrets and hiding thoughts from her. That was what made her angry.

Kursed looked at the fox. He still stared at her. She could see the golden fang, before it disappeared again.

"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? You can't beat me. You will surrender. You will tell me everything I want to know!"

The black fox said nothing.

"Fine." Kursed began to head toward the door. "You better hope that you're dead before I come back. Because I will make you're last few moments of life, worse then h-ll."

"Hmm, mmm, mm… Breathe just let it go, Armageddon Soul."

Kursed froze solid in the doorway. Her paw hung on the light switch. Kursed listened to what the man had hummed, and said. She flashed around staring at the fox before he looked away toward the grey base of the ship. Her jaw dropped, as she still glared at the black fox that now looked toward the flooring of the vessel.

"Where did you learn that?"

Her boots tapped quickly as she made her way over toward her bed. From under it, she grabbed a black box and took out the pictures. She spun them around, looking at their white backs. Each of them had a phrase or two written on them. She thought it was a story or a part of a poem or song. But… Fox had written these single handedly. Who else could have known anything about this? She wasn't about to give up. Not now. This was more then just a stranger that hung to her wall. This was about Fox.

The picture cards were out of sight of the dark fox. She looked through the words before rising and stepping toward Syxx. "Syxx right? That is you're name?"

Once again she got no answer.

Kursed tried to regain some patients. "Ok. This is very importantly to me… Mister… Syxx. I need to know where you learned those words that you were humming."

The black fox closed his eyes, silently.

"You knew Fox McCloud, didn't you? I need to know how."

Nothing.

Kursed began to pace back and forward in front of him. "How about I make you a deal? If you tell me where you learned that phrase, I will let you leave. I will ensure that you leave this station completely unharmed, with each and every piece of you're armoring and weapons intact. How does that sound?"

Syxx said nothing.

Kursed growled. "Or, we can do things my way. Now make-"

"Do you know the sound, a Slayer makes?"

Kursed stumbled over words in her head for a moment. This was the first time that he had talked directly toward her. She was stunned, but she held her ground. "I think I'm going to be one asking the questions around here! What-"

"I said." The vulpine growled deeply in a pause, eyes closed, head to the floor. "Do you know the sound a Slayer makes?"

Kursed snarled. "What's a Slayer?"

Syxx just smiled in return.

Kursed shook her head and sighed. "No. I don't know what sound a Slayer makes."

Syxx remained on the wall with his eyes shut. "Listen closely."

Kursed sighed again. She stared at the vulpine. His head drifted toward the floor, and his eyes lingered shut. She took a quick glance around the room. She listened attentively for the next few moments, but she heard nothing. She snorted, putted her paws on her hips and looking towards the ceiling. The engines of the ship didn't even run. It was completely silent.

"I don't hear anything."

"Exactly." The fox looked up. He opened his green eyes. A smile began to creep up on either side of his muzzle. His bottom jaw dropped slightly so the vixen could see his golden tooth. He sent her a vicious open mouthed smile.

Kursed froze. She didn't care much for what this man said. He was a Slayer… whatever that was. She had seen it on his shoulder plate along with what she thought was a name… Syxx. But… his voice… it was so familiar… yet different… dark. She stepped back over to the bed, flipping the cards over. She looked at the pictures of Fox McCloud, then back up to the man that had stared at her. The blue vixen slowly made her way back over to the black vulpine. She locked her eyes onto his, and came so close that their muzzles where nearly touching.

The black fox's eyes were so recognizable. She knew them, and she knew them well. These eyes weren't of a stranger. These eyes were memorable. They were rugged, and yet so vivid. These deep green eyes had a story to tell, a story she had already known and lived, and another one of unimaginable pain and anger. Another part told that they were empty, and there was nothing left to give in this life.

The blue vixen's limbs began to shudder. Her heart had never beaten so hard in her life. Her bottom jaw vibrated open. She couldn't believe her own eyes. It couldn't be. There was no way. He had been dead for such a long time. Was it actually possible that this was…

Her bottom lip quivered. "F-F… Fox?"

The black vulpine's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "Make it non-lethal!"

Syxx watched as a shadow materialized behind the blue vixen. A silver shadow. It locked an arm around the blue vixen's neck. The black vulpine got to watch in horror as a blue paw reach out; begging for him as the body slowly drooped toward the floor. The little blue fox choked as she reached out, pleading for him. "F-Fox." The blue Cerinian black out.

The armored Slayer slowly let the vixen toward the floor of the ship. The wide silver visor then looked at him. Two shielded paws lifted the helmet. Inside, was a red furred fox. But he already knew that. Syxx had already seen Kyla's shoulder plate.

She walked up toward him smiling. "How's life?"

"Life, f-ck-ng, sucks." He emphasized each word. "Now let me down."

The giggled playfully. "Why? I have you, right were I want you."

"_Ha ha_." Syxx rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Let's move out. I never want to come back here."

"What about you're mission?"

"The mission is a bust."

"That doesn't sound like the Syxx I know." Kyla leaned in to give him a kiss.

Syxx turned away. "There is a time and a place for everything. This is neither."

"Well fine. I guess I'd be a little cranky too." The red vixen helped him down.

Syxx had one paw free, then another, and then finally his neck. The dark Slayer took a few clumsy foot steps forward with both his paws around his own neck. He then stretched out his shoulders and back. In another moment he felt brand new after drinking surmountable water and leaning out. Kyla watched him vigorously scratch his head with both paws. She giggled.

It didn't take him a full minuet to have the Vortec armoring hooked up, assembled and ready to go. This was the first time that he had ever gotten to see the Vortec's nanotechnology to go to work. The hole that he been shot into his stomach was sealed up again, making the armor once more, air tight.

Syxx pulled his knife from the sheath. The blue fox lie motionlessly on the floor. She was alive, but her close encounter with a pair of Slayers was dicey at best. Syxx pressed the blade of the dagger against the black leather jacket she wore and slashed upward. The fur on her arm was completely unharmed, but the arm of the jacket was split clean down the center, revealing her whole arm. The blue vixen was unharmed by the action.

"What are you doing?"

"I just gotta' be sure." Syxx grabbed her arm. On the upper part was a white pattern of a tattoo that ran around the blue vixen's arm. The same one that Krystal had. It was Krystal.

"Sh-t."

"Syxx? Who is this?"

The black fox didn't answer. He walked over to the bed. It was scattered with pictures. All of them very familiar. All of them him. All of them Fox McCloud.

"What did she call you?"

"Nothing. Let's move out."

Kyla nodded. This wasn't the time. She would try again later. She locked on her helmet, and pulled the pistol from her chest. Then she pointed the Mapaw at the vixen that lie on the cold floor. Syxx put a paw over the barrel and pulled it away. "No. Let her go."

"Syxx you know protocol. This could blow Slayer wide open."

"She doesn't know enough." Syxx placed the HUD over his left eye, then the helmet over that.

"Fine. But you're taking the fall."

"Agreed. Now move. Take point."

"_Hmp…_ yes _Sir._"

The pair of Slayers activated their cloaking. They swiftly moved out together. But Syxx knew all was not well. Krystal knew about him now. He was confident about his decision to let her live, but he felt numb. He could feel his past all around him, and it was coming. He liked to think that she wouldn't come after him. That wouldn't be true though. She would be angry, and she would blow him wide open. He would have to make a decision, to let his identity as Syxx fade away or to kill… kill Krystal. He still had one more life to live.


	29. Catch Me if You Can

Authors Note:  
The Rogue Fox Art Wall is growing. Go have a look on SyxxFox FanFiction profile. Think you can do better? Create Art for Rogue Fox and it will be posted on the wall.

Keep it Open,  
SyxxFox

* * *

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXIX**

**Catch Me if You Can**

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"_Hit the lights just to see the horizon,  
I'm a fool couldn't see this one coming,  
Gonna' run away,  
Gonna' run away,  
Gotta' get away,  
Gotta' get away, right now,_

_Follow the leader,  
She wants it all,  
The higher you fly,  
Just means the faster you fall,_

_Follow the leader,  
She'll take it all,  
The harder you try,  
Just means the harder you fall,"_

**CRASH ANTHEM **_**– "Follow the Leader"**_

* * *

Syxx refined the speakers within his Vortec. He activated the heat vision on the HUD, so he could keep an eye on Kyla as they crept through the ship. The past few days had been hard on him, and they only got worse as he found out, that his interrogator, the whole time, had been none other then Krystal. The red vixen in front of him moved swift and silent. She had placed together the sniper rifle of the Mapaw. With the extended barrel and stock, the weapon turned out to be longer then she was tall. It was cumbersome, but she was very skilled with it, even in close quarters engagements.

Syxx growled through the speakers of the Vortec. "You shouldn't have come."

"Well, your absence was misleading. We thought you were dead. I was sent to come check it out and assemble the pieces of the Vortec and find the location of the Hook Echo using you're Heads Up. I never thought that _you_ would be alive as well."

"I wish I wasn't."

"Stay focused Syxx."

Syxx trailed closely behind Kyla. They reached an intersection of halls. Both of them hugged the wall, tightly. A single man passed by them. Kyla lifted the rifle pointing it toward the hound, but didn't pull in the trigger. The man took a turn at the corner. Syxx rolled the knife out of his sheath, stretching his paw around the hilt, happy to have the grasp of the weapon again. She lowered the rifle, sticking out the barrel at shin level; the man tripped and stumbled to the floor, right in front of Syxx.

The black fox wasted no time, and reefed the knife downward, putting a clean and silent end to the man's life. Kyla didn't watch. She was more concerned about keeping an eye out in front of them. She knew that Syxx will have taken care of the hound that she had tripped.

"Move." Syxx whispered.

She got up from her crouched position, and rolled her body around the corner. She pointed the muzzle of the weapon down the hallway. Syxx followed, now holding the Mapaw pistol form. Both of them knew not to fire while their cloaking was engaged, making their last encounter nearly flawless.

"Where's your Hook Echo?" Syxx asked.

"I was going to ask the same about yours. I parked mine in the hanger."

"In the hanger!?"

"Yeah, it looked pretty empty to me. This ship is a beater. I'd be surprised it even had radar. Not that it matters in the F1 though."

"It's cloaked right?"

"I'm that not stupid."

Syxx smiled. "Just checking."

"So who was that?"

"No one."

"Like I said; I'm not that stupid. You know her."

"Keep moving. The hanger is just up around the corner."

"Hmm… you and I will have a talk about this later."

"We're not home yet."

The fox pair made their way to the large and empty hanger of the ship. With the help of the thermo vision, Syxx could see the cool outline of the Hook Echo against the background of the hanger. They made their way to it. Kyla jumped onto the invisible ship. Syxx crouched at the base of the fighter and guarded Kyla and the vessel. In another moment the cloak deactivated. Syxx and Kyla both deactivated theirs as well. They started to move faster, coordinating their escape.

Kyla hopped into the cock pit. "Come on."

"I don't think so."

"What? Don't like sitting so close to a girl?" she giggled. "It's big enough for two."

"You think your real funny." Syxx jumped onto the wing, reaching over her. He grabbed a heavy forward stock that attached it to the barrel, and added in a heavy butt. The Mapaw formed into a heavy machinegun. The fox crouched onto the wing of the ship. He ensured his helmet was on properly, and the Vortec was ready to go. Without the power of this armor, this Mapaw form would be a chore to carry never mind shoot.

He nodded. "Ready?"

Kyla turned her shoulder over to him. She cocked her head. "Are you crazy!?"

"Almost. Now fly."

Kyla closed the cockpit, the engines screamed to life, and the Hook Echo began to hover. "Are you sure about this?"

"Settle down. I have training."

"I don't seem to recall doing this in Slayer."

"That's 'cause we didn't. Just… do your best, and try to keep it steady alright? If anything comes our way, I'll blast it. Just _try_ not to get shot down if you could manage."

The Hook Echo hovered around the in hanger. The engines whined as they warmed up. Syxx put the large machinegun up into his shoulder. The door that they had come through moments before opened. The one thing that he could have hoped for, was whoever was coming through the door, wouldn't be Krystal. Before anyone could even file out, he unleashed a hell fire of steel-plasma rounds toward the open door. The shots tore through the doorway and chipped off chunks of the metal wall. The machinegun cracked into Syxx's shoulder, as the weapon sliced away. Syxx watched the meter on the HUD rise slowly as the weapon heated up. The large cooling rods on this modification kept the weapon from overheating, but it was consequently, very heavy.

Kyla pressed the thrusters forward. "Hang on Syxx."

In another moment the X-Military personal in the ship began to fire back. Plasma scorched across the wings of the Hook Echo. Syxx tried to lower his stance, hiding behind the wing. He lifted the huge machinegun with one paw as if it were no lighter then a pistol. He held onto a wing flare with the other paw, narrowly dodging the plasma fire while returning twice what was coming toward him with a single paw only.

"You holding on? Or What?!

Syxx was more then happy to fire back, holding the heavy weapon in one paw. He pulled in the trigger. Fire went away and toward him. "Uh… Yeah! I got it!"

The Hook Echo moved toward the open door, and blasted out into space. The boots of the Vortec helped keep him firmly in place on the Hook Echo. "Syxx, where are you parked?"

The vulpine scrolled through his HUD. "The orbit has thrown my ship off. It's nearly on the other side of the planet."

"Well hang on. We've got multiple enemy contacts coming in. Think you can take them?"

"Think you can fly straight?"

"_I think_ someone needs a nap when we get back home."

"Cram it." Syxx rolled his eyes.

Syxx took a deep breath. This was the first moment he had actually gained time to think about what had just happened. Perhaps fate had brought them together for a second time, or maybe it was just coincidence. The chances of him meeting her again were one in billions. Space was big, and there were a lot of planets. He didn't care what it was, all that was important now, was that he put some distance between him and her. She was wanted in the Lylat System for his death which could keep her away… unless she could prove he wasn't dead. That would be a bad road to go down. But then there was Slayer. Even if they did find out Fox was alive, that would leave Slayer wide open to the public. They wouldn't do that. He figured he would most likely be protected.

_If_… or _when_ she followed... which Syxx knew she would, it could lead to one deadly game of follow the leader. He knew that he himself had in fact betrayed her.

He growled at how foolish he had been, he should have seen something like this coming. As much as he hated to do so, he had to run away, he had to get away. She wants it all. If she wants it that badly, then she'll take it all and leave him with nothing, once again.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Kursed began to shiver. Her head stung. The cool floor made her spine uncomfortably cramped. Her heavy eyes fluttered open. She didn't understand. She stumbled to her feet, and collapsed on her bed shortly after. She breathed heavily, with her eyes closed. In another moment she opened them. Right in front of her eyes was a picture. One of her and Fox. One that had been taken so many years ago. But, it wasn't as she remembered. The picture was crumpled into a ball. She delicately unfolded it, and stared into the photo.

The memories all started to come back. She remembered the black fox on her wall. The silence of him, and the way she tortured him. She swallowed hard. She knew what she saw. She jumped up from the bed, first noticing the clean cut up the arm of her jacket. She knew for sure now. She knew what she saw. She saw him. He was still alive.

Kursed bolted out the doorway, toward her ship. She was going to hunt him down, if it cost her, her own life. Maybe he hadn't made it far yet. Maybe she still had a chance.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

"Are we getting close?"

"If you don't want to fly me there, then I'd be just as happy to do some space jumping. I didn't ask you to come and help me in the first place."

"Settle down. Don't get so worked up. Hmm… we've got one more enemy craft coming in. How did it find us? Regardless. It's at about eight o'clock. Go for it Syxx."

Syxx turned around on the wing putting his back against the fuselage of the ship. He pointed the machinegun into space. "How far out?"

"You should see it with in a few seconds."

Syxx used the zoom function on the HUD. He saw a flash of blue in space. His heart began to beat harder. He knew of only one blue ship besides the Arwings. The approaching ship had a wide wing span. He lowered the weapon for a moment. Thoughts raced through his mind. The Hook Echo had no wave reflection. It didn't show up on radar. Krystal didn't need radar to find him. She just used her mind to find his own.

The wide spanned fighter closed in. Kyla gave him the go ahead. "You're in range Syxx. Open up."

Syxx looked toward the incoming ship. The bow of the fighter became to glow as its weapons charged. Syxx held his fire, his paw rolling over the dual trigger and the pistol grip. He hesitated.

Kyla became concerned. "Their weapons are charging."

Syxx pointed the weapon toward the Cloudrunner. He prepped it to fire. But he didn't. He still stared down the sights. The Cloudrunner locked onto the Hook Echo. Syxx still didn't shoot. He tightened the grip on the trigger. His breath began to get heavier, and his aim vibrated.

"Syxx!"

The Cloudrunner fired. Kyla was just as fast to react. A red plasma missile locked onto the ship and trailed it. The red vixen pulled the ship away and rolled it straight upwards. Syxx held tight, until he was bucked off. His free paw swiped toward the side panel of the Hook Echo as it rolled away. But he missed it. He latched the massive weapon to his chest, and floated through space.

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_**X**_

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Kursed let go of the missile. She watched it as it tracked the silver ship before her. It hadn't been hard for her to hunt him down. She recognized his thought patterns. She watched as a white streak immersed from the rear of the ship as it accelerated. A small object fell off the side of it, and disappeared among the space junk. The red missile lost its way and ran off into space, soon disappearing from her sight. But that wasn't what she was concerned about. The object that had fallen off the wing was Fox. She had seen him wing ride before. He was about the only one crazy enough to do that.

She slowed the ship down. She lost sight of the silver fighter. The blue vixen looked through the space junk with her eyes and her mind. She felt him. His was near.

"Where are you?" she whispered to herself.

Kursed nearly jumped out of her fur. A loud thump resonated through the hull of her ship. Before and above her was a heavily armored soldier, kneeling on the fuselage just in front of the cock pit. The silver visor looked down at the armored knuckle that had been forced into the thick hull of the fighter ship. The blue vixen's heart raced and rushed blood through her body harder and faster as the reflective silvery mirror of the Vortec's faceplate looked up from its gaze downward right toward her. She knew that this was Fox.

The armored man continued to stare at her from the outside. His gleaming shoulder plates outlined a silver silhouette against the blue and green planet of Kew. She thought it was beautiful for a moment. Until one iron fist was raised, up and over his own shoulder. It aimed right toward the canopy of the Cloudrunner. But, the glass of the ship was thick and strong. There was no way he could possibly pound through it…

In the following second the fist slammed down on the canopy. A loud slam rang in Kursed's ears. The sound made her ears twitch and her eyes blink. She watched as the tough glass of the ship rebounded the first fist of iron. The armored Cornerian punched his fist down again, this time the glass began to give. A series of silver lines encircled the armored paw, while a single crack trailed up the glass of the canopy.

Her jaw dropped. A single silver crack ran up the canopy, cutting the armored soldier on the outside directly in half. "Wait!! Stop!!"

Fox must have taken her lost offensive the wrong way. What could she have expected from trying to kill him with a missile? She could sense his unwillingness to fire the weapon upon her. That was all different now.

She could sense a thought going through his mind. _"You try to kill me. I try to kill you."_

Kursed watched in horror from the inside. The black and silver soldier raised one paw again. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Fox… Fox McCloud was trying to kill her. She froze up. She didn't know what to do. One more hit could be enough to shatter the glass of the Cloudrunner's canopy. She would be then left to the merciless vacuum of space; where Fox would watch her die right in front of him.

She began to shudder. The fist began to come down. The blue fox closed her eyes, tensed her muscles and waited. She heard a hard _bang_. She didn't move. All was silent. She opened a slit of one eye, and peeked through it. The Vortec was no longer in front of her. There was nothing, but the outline of a bright planet and slivers of silvery grained cracks that made a series of circles and cracks were the impact had originated on the Cloudrunner.

She listened to only her own breathing and the silent whining of the ship's engines. She looked through the endless vacuum that was space. She calmed herself down.

"_Where did you go?_" She thought to herself.

Kursed looked through space with her eyes and mind. She could still feel him. She could sense him. The vixen navigated her ship through space. Syxx wasn't the only thing that she was looking out for. She was on the watch for whoever was piloting the other ship. She had deemed the area as safe, but she had already discovered that it didn't appear on radar. She would have to keep a look out for it with her extra sense.

Kursed looked through the wreckage in the orbit of the planet. It didn't take her much longer. Among the junk, she spotted him. His body was motionless in the floating vacuum of space.

She spoke just over a whisper into the system. "Hello?"

She didn't get a reply. Something was wrong. Was he dead? No. The man wasn't conscious. His limp body floated. His head was tilted back at a very uncomfortable angle. She guessed that a large chunk of junk had knocked him off her ship. It was very lucky; it could have very well been the thing that saved her life.

She wasted about to give up here. She _had_ to talk to him. She had to take some revenge on him. She wasn't finished here.


	30. Truth Decay

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXX**

**Truth Decay

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**

"_This was no conspiracy,  
No hidden agenda,  
Just a sad reality that the truth hurts,_

_C'mon,  
Take a cheap shot!  
You know you want to!  
C'mon,  
I can't blame you,_

_I know you feel betrayed,  
I let you down that day,  
You're not the only one,  
Who's drowning in this place,"_

**TRACENINE **_**– "Betrayed"

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**_

A scene that he was all too familiar with. The black fox began to wake. His head felt heavy and weak. The lack of food over the past few days had deprived him of concentration and energy. He tried to open his heavy eyes. The dim room faded in. A blue blur motioned in front of him. He was just in time to see the knuckle contact with the side of his head. A loud crack banged through his skull, and his ears rang. The force of the hit hurled his head harshly to the left, and his vision only began worsening. He saw his arm pinned to the wall. His head continued to ring.

He wanted to strike back but he was confused and weak. Everything appeared to him in slow motion. His head drifted from his left, back toward the front of him. It was all still blurry. He couldn't understand why one eye was seeing everything darker then the other one was.

"A bden nxe 0ei uho."

The black fox closed his eyes. "What?" he said hoarsely.

"Kee cedw uwe uchout0 veh 0ei ke homomroh?"

Syxx tried to open his eyes. "What the h-ll are you talking about?"

The fox wasn't sure who his was talking to. He still felt confused and disoriented. The voice he was talking to was female, and very familiar. And the way that she spoke. He remembered that language, and that dialect and cute accent. His left eye soon after lit up. He now realized his HUD was still on his head and later found out he still was in the Vortec, minus the helmet. He struggled to see what it told him and to focus the eye onto the screen.

_Language Identification… Searching._

_Identification Found… _

_Foreign Language: "Dino Language" AKA "Saurian"_

_Saurian: A primitive language first spoken on Dinosaur Planet on the outer reaches of the Lylat System. This planet is now under complete lockdown. No Lylatian contact is allowed on or near this planet for fear of disturbing the tribes, and the ecosystem. This Planet was later known as planet Sauria and the language now what is formerly known as Saurian._

_Translating…_

Syxx only knew one person that could speak Saurian fluently… but for now he to play it how he was taught. He had to play dumb. "Who are you?"

"Ted'k fcu0 timr nakx mo."

"I'm not. You have me confused with someone else."

"0ei noho ucnu0j u rut cuah Fox McCloud."

Syxx still couldn't see clearly. He closed his eyes tight. The next time he opened them; there was a picture in front of him. He tried to focus in on it. He saw a red outline, and soon found it to be a recognizable red fox. Two blue fingers tipped over the edge of the picture. His vision soon restored and he could see clearly again. The one in the picture was Fox McCloud. He was looking back at himself and into what felt like happened so long ago.

"A bden nxe 0ei uho Fox McCloud."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"A majjot 0ei je misx m0 Uhmuwotted Jeic."

"I can't understand you."

Kursed had her teeth bared. "You have some nerve." She lowered the picture. "At first I was happy to see you. I thought that you were dead for the past two years. Everyone did. Do _you_ have any idea what you put me through?" She was on the verge of crying, though she was still very angry.

"You are mistaken."

"Oh stop it!!! You haven't changed a bit!"

He knew that he had been finally found out. He looked down at the floor. Kursed grew angry and hurt as the dark fox started to laugh. The blue vixen stepped toward him. She latched a paw around his neck. But that only caused him to throw his head back even to laugh harder. The vixen got angrier.

Kursed latched the paw around his jugular. "You think this is a joke!?! YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY!?!?"

The black fox choked. "I still don't know what you're talking about."

"Hey!!!" She screeched. Her paw moved up toward his muzzle, latching around it. "You better smarten up!!!"

Syxx bared his teeth the best that he could. He emitted a deep growl through his shut muzzle.

Kursed let up her grip. "I can't believe you went through with all of this. I can't believe what I'm seeing. You have no idea what…_ ugh_… where do you get off pulling a stupid stunt like that?"

"You have me mistaken for someone else." He managed to mumble out of his clamped jaw. He turned his eyes away from her.

"Stop it!!! Stop lying to me!!! You staged your own death Fox!!! Why would you throw all of that away!?! You had it all!!! For the last two years, I've been a villain. I wanted to go talk to Peppy about your death. I can't even step foot on that planet without being convicted!!! All because of you!!!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kursed grew upset. She pulled back a fist and contacted it with the side of the black fox's head. A spatter of blood flew from his mouth contacting the wall. She could tell he too was getting impatient. He threw his body forward, but it was only caught by the bonds that kept him festooned to the wall of her room. It hurt her inside to harm him, but he needed to pay for what he had done, even though he continued to deny it.

The blue vixen shook off her knuckle. "Jkuhkadw ke homomroh 0ok?"

The black fox breathing grew heavier, as he got angrier. Personally, she had never seen him truly mad. She had seen him upset a few times, but she had never seen him as heated as he was now. Little did she now, that this was just the start. This was not the man that she had known two years ago. He was completely redefined. He was completely reborn. She didn't even know he was capable of being this angry. She could sense the force radiating off of him. Specialized armor or not, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Kursed snorted and walked away when she didn't get an answer. She reached under her bed. She grabbed the staff. When she mashed the jeweled button on one end, the staffed grew to its full length with a sliding steel-to-steel sound. The vixen spun it once in a single paw. She stepped over to the fox. She pointed the end of the weapon toward him, holding it in one hand. The end began to glow red. The vulpine could feel the heat exude off of it.

He stared past the ball of flame collecting on the staff. He was familiar with the power of the staff. He had used it, and he knew that it was more then enough to be lethal. He didn't fear it. He feared nothing… or very little. But he did respect the power of the weapon. He stared past the ball of fire and straight into the eyes of the blue vixen. When they locked eyes, Kursed knew from the very beginning, that she could never build up the courage to kill him like this. She didn't think she could ever kill him, no matter who had become. Deep down she still loved him and she still wanted him back. That was what hurt most of all.

The black vulpine whispered. "Do it."

Kursed bared her teeth. She felt her paw begin to sweat. She clamped it down harder on the staff. She tried to remain strong. She wanted him to fear her. She wanted him to be afraid of her for once. But it didn't seem to be working. He feared not death, he had already died once.

Syxx whispered again. "Do it."

Kursed swallowed hard. She rolled her claw tips on the staff. The fire ball on the end of the staff grew stronger. For a Cornerian to power the staff, energy crystals were needed to feed the power ups of the staff. She was a Cerinian. She needed not the crystals. It ran purely or her stamina.

"What are you waiting for? Do it. Kill me."

The blue fox felt a tear bead at her eye.

Syxx laughed in a deep voice. "I knew that you couldn't do it. You're weak. Just like you've always been… _Krystal_. You never could do anything on your own. You always needed my help."

"That's not true." She shuddered. "That's not true!"

"Prove me wrong then. Go ahead. Do it. Kill me. What difference would it make now? I've been dead the last two years now haven't I? Who would know?" Syxx paused to laugh. "Make the headlines true."

Syxx looked at one of his bonded paws, that at the other. It was time to change his attitude. He was the one in trouble, but he had to try to scare her. He wasn't sure how much she had changed, and wasn't sure if she had the guts to put and end to his life. But the look of the things around him, she had changed a lot. He tried to throw his arms forward, but even with the advanced power of the Vortec, they locked back in place. He still kept his identity vague, but he knew that she had found him out. There was no denying it now. The jig was up. One of his few fears; the fear of being discovered had finally come true.

He growled and snarled at her. "Come on!!! Take you're cheap shot!!! You know you wanna'!!! Come on!!! Come on!!! Come on!!!"

Kursed pointed the weapon toward him. She tried to stop herself from shaking, in what she assumed was horror of what Fox had become. She took a deep breath. A tear beaded at her eye, and ran down her deep blue fur. She remained silent, and slowly lowered the staff. The glowing ball of fire dissipated. She looked down at the floor, and blinked hard. The tear that remained, fell from her fur and dropped onto the grey flooring between her and what had once been the legendary Fox McCloud.

Syxx's heart beat began to recede as the deadly weapon was put down. "The truth hurts doesn't it? You think I put you through a lot? You have no idea what h-ll really is, do you?"

"What happened to you Fox?" She tried not to cry. She moved forward to him, putting a paw on his cheek and brushed his fur backwards. "What happened to your fur? What happened to your voice Fox?"

Syxx jumped forward but was caught by the chains. "Stop calling me that!!! Fox is dead!!! Get it through you're thick skull!!!"

"So what are you now!?! You're a _Slayer_!?!"

"Fox was weak." The vulpine smiled. "I'm stronger then he ever could have been. Starfox was holding him back. You were holding him back Krystal. You have no idea what the best part is. Killing has never been so easy, Krystal. It's in my blood now. It's a part of me."

"My name isn't Krystal."

"Oh? So what are you running under these days?"

"My name is Kursed."

Syxx mocked her. "Haha, _Kursed_? Real original. So are you a killer? Is your life _cursed_?"

"What about you? Syxx? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? Can you remember the last words that you ever said to me?"

Kursed paused, thinking back. She remembered their last encounter, during the Anglian War. They were flying over a planet, but she couldn't remember what it was that she had said to him that day. She couldn't think of it. She drifted her eyes back toward the fox. She tried to read the Slayers mind, plucking from it what she wanted, just as she had every time when she wanted to know something from Fox. But this time was different. His mind was safely guarded, by a barrier that she had never encountered before.

Syxx rumbled. "You stay the h-ll out of my mind. _Haha_, I know what that means. It means you can't remember. There were six words. Do you remember what they were?"

Kursed _gulped_. She slowly shook her head. She knew that he was going to be very upset for that. But she couldn't remember.

"No." Syxx got angry when she couldn't recall. "Tell me, does this sound familiar: _I'm sorry, you broke my heart._ Those six words. Your sixth sense. One, two, three, four, five…" The black fox paused letting his gaze fall to the floor. "_Syxx_. The six words that ruined my life."

"I ruined you're life!?! Look at me Fox!!!"

"You had a home. You had a home with Starwolf. You had a home with Panther. I didn't have a home. I had an empty ship." He turned his head away, pausing. "A big _empty_ ship."

She knew that he was right. But she didn't want to admit it, especially to him. "I never loved Panther."

Syxx sneered in return. "Well, then I guess you f-ck-d up. You f-ck-d around with me. I was really sorry for making you leave the team Krystal, and I know you wanted to accept my apology. But you weren't done getting even with me were you? You wanted to take me for your little ride, and drain out all I was worth. But you know what?" Syxx stared at her. "I would do it again, and again… just to see you cry. You created this. You created _Syxx_."

"But… I – I-"

"I don't care what you are. You think it matters now if you're sorry or not?" The fox paused. He now spoke through bared teeth. "I loved you. I wanted to protect you. It didn't matter to you when I was sorry, so I don't want to hear anything that you have to say."

"Just please, listen-"

"No. I don't care what you have to say to me. I don't blame you for what you've done, now stop blaming me. Either let me go, or kill me right now."

Kursed took a heavy shuddering breath. "You think it's that simple? You just want me to _let you go_? No. Not after all you've done to me. I'm not going to let you just walk out of here."

"Then kill me. Make me a trophy. Pin my hide onto the wall, and make it a nice title. Something like; _The One Who almost Got Away_."

"I'm not going to do that. In fact, I'm going to make the remainder of your life a living h-ll. Everyday, you'll be haunted with you're past just like I've been. I hope that you get rescued soon. I don't know who your little friend is, but I can assure you that they'll never get you out."

"Fine."

"That's it!?! All you've done and that's what you say… _Fine_?"

Syxx shrugged and turned away. "I figure it can't get much worse then it already is."

Kursed went into a shuddering sigh. She turned her back to him, making her way to the door. Syxx could hear the sorrowful shaking in her voice. "I hope you're happy with yourself." She placed her paw on the light switch. "I'm giving you some time to think about what you've done. About the people that you hurt. I'm sorry it had to end up this way."

She took one last distant look at the vulpine's deep green eyes. The fox then drifted his gaze toward the floor. She couldn't tell if he was feeling guilty, or he just didn't want to see her anymore. The vixen would have given anything for this moment, and now she had gotten it, she didn't know what to say or even what to think. This isn't the way she wanted it to be, and the last way that she expected it to be. She couldn't see into his mind. She tried hard, but he wouldn't allow it. She still wanted to see who he really was. Which meant he had to be weaker. She still had to corrode the mental barrier that stood between him and her.

She thought about the last avowal and the last statement that she was going to give him. The last thought that she was going to leave him with. She didn't care who he was now. She didn't care about all the trouble that she had been put through by him. She had been longing to say this for such a long time, perhaps not just to him, but just to someone.

She put her paw on the light switch again. "I'm sorry I have to do this." She turned the light out. "I love you."

He had always been the strongest. But that was unrivaled by any other standard that had been previously set now. She had already witnessed the killer that he had become. As he looked down, the blue fox sighed. The blue vixen took a step out the door, letting it swiftly slide shut. She stood looking at the closed grey door for a moment. A tear ran down her face, quickly followed by multiple more. She breathed hard, and tried not to sob. But it was so hard for her not to cry. She didn't want to let him see her this way. She took shallow hard breaths and whimpered.

Kursed sniffled, and wiped the tears away from her eyes with her blue arm. He was still too strong. She wanted to know what was inside. She would do it the same way she did it with all of her other victims. He wouldn't see water, food or light again until she could open his mind. She could already feel him beginning to weaken, but it wasn't enough.

As much as it hurt her; she had to do it. For herself. And for the_ real_ Fox McCloud. Maybe, if she tried really hard, she could find him again. Maybe the real Fox McCloud was still alive. Alive somewhere in this vicious killers mind.


	31. Apparitions

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXI**

**Apparitions

* * *

  
**

"_All you know is normal,  
All you know is where you've been,  
All you know is normal,  
You don't want to see within,_

_I am only normal on the outside,_

_I am only normal on the outside,  
Inside I'm everything that you fear,  
You stare, but you don't want to see me,  
I scream, but you don't want to hear,"_

**HYPNOGAJA **_**- "Normal on the Outside"

* * *

  
**_

The only sound; his own heavy and weakening breathing set in with the decaying sights of surrounding darkness. He could no longer keep track of the time. He had drifted into and out of sleep for as much as he knew could have ranged from minuets, to hours to even days. He knew that his condition was deteriorating, and he had been wondering why Kyla had not come to rescue him yet. But as every Slayer had learned, there was a window of opportunity; he just had to wait for it. He didn't need anyone's help. He was fine just by himself. Krystal wouldn't let him die… would she?

Syxx was unsure if the cracking, opening door had woken him from sleep, or if he had already been awake and waiting. He wanted to turn on his night vision so he could at least take a look around the room, but he couldn't reach his left arm to activate the command on his HUD. It didn't matter. Slayers didn't go insane if they were tortured like this. They remained strong until they just simply died.

His head rushed as the lights were turned on. He squinted, adjusting them to the change in brightness. He saw Krystal walk in with a tray, a plate and this time a bottle of water instead of a glass. She pulled a small table in front of him, setting the plate and tray down. On the clean white plate was a juicy steak, with a fork and knife ready at the side.

"What's this?" Syxx could hear the weakness in his own voice now. "Is this the way you taunt all your victims? Hold food in their face until they give in?"

The blue fox glanced at him. She grabbed the bottle of water and stepped over to the vulpine that was tuned to the wall. The vixen tossed the bottle in her paw. "Just the trouble makers. But you're not my victim."

"Oh no?" Syxx smiled, his eyes drifting shut for a long blink. "What am I?"

She moved her muzzle right up to his, speaking clearly to the black Slayer. "No. You're not my victim." She smiled. "You're more like my… _pet._"

"Pet?" Syxx blurted out before he began to cough. His own sharp breath stung the back of his dried out throat.

"I can make you do anything I want you to. _Anything_."

"You sicken me."

"Hmmm…" Kursed opened the bottle of water. "I'm going to give you this on one condition. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

Syxx grinned evilly yet still feebly. "No promises."

Kursed closed the cap to the bottle. "Fine then."

She turned around, cutting a chunk of steak off of the juicy T-bone and stabbing it onto a fork. She turned around once more and put the warm piece of meat right up to the vulpine's nose, leaving it just out of his reach. The scent invaded his nostrils. Syxx started to drool within his clamped mouth. He dared not reach for the food. He tried his best to ignore it, but he hadn't eaten for over three days at this point. He felt his stomach growling, and begging to be fed; fed anything.

Kursed waved the meat back and forth in front of his nose. She watched his eyes follow it. He wanted it, but he restrained himself. "My." She paused and continued, speaking to him mockingly. "So strong, Fox. I made it just the way you like it too. It's a shame that you're stubborn… just as always Fox."

Kursed moved her mouth closer to the food, and sunk a fang into it. She was so close that her nose nearly touched his. She moaned as she ate the meat, she had closed her eyes and opened them just in time to see the black vulpine lick his lips, before turning his head away and sighing through an open mouth.

Kursed backed off a little smiling. "Oh, would you like some?"

The only answer she got from him was a loud churn within his stomach.

"I tell you what. I'll give you the rest of this food and water on one condition. You have to let me within your mind. I don't understand how you've done it, but you've managed to keep me out."

"I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Take it or leave it."

Syxx let his head droop to the floor, only being held by the chain around his neck. "You don't wanna' know what's inside."

"You're just like you were two years ago Fox. You're just as stubborn. You're nothing but normal." Kursed set down the fork. She began heading toward the door. She left the food in front of _Fox_, to torture him.

"I am only normal on the outside."

Kursed froze. She had heard what he said, but he hadn't even spoken above a whisper. She turned back to him, coming before him. "You have something to say to me?" The black fox remained as he was; his head looking toward the floor hiding his eyes and emotions. He hung in the silence for a moment. Kursed stared at him, glowering down at him.

The vulpine coughed before speaking. "I am only normal on the outside. Inside, I'm everything that you fear."

"I'd doubt that _Fox McCloud_." She put her paws on her hips.

Syxx opened his eyes, looking up toward her revealing a weak grin and whispered. "Do you really wanna' know what's inside?"

Kursed paused. "I do." She stepped toward him, getting even closer. She closed her eyes, and entered the mind of Syxx.

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

Krystal squinted. She put her forearm up over her eyes to shield them from the direct sunlight. Her eyes soon adjusted. She looked down at her paws, at one side, and then turning them to look at the other. She then glanced down over the rest of her body. She was wearing her old armor. The only Cerinian warrior wear that Fox had found her in before he and gotten her new clothes.

The vixen turned around observing all of her surroundings. She was near the top a hill. A cliff and path surrounded her to the back while the other side looked out over a great bay of crystalline water and sandy beaches. A waterfall was off to her left. It fed fresh flowing water into the salty water of the ocean.

Krystal stepped up to the railing that looked over the cove. She hadn't seen anything as beautiful in years. She whispered to herself. "_So this is your mind_?"

She drug her claws around the railing, and walked down the path that led her to a tall dock, and from there a ramp that led down to one side of the sandy bay. The opposite direction from where she looked down to the beach was the water fall. A bridge crossed the river just in front of the falls. She looked at the bridge. There was something or it, or more like someone.

She turned to the waterfall. She soon saw it was a red furred man sitting on the edge of the bridge, looking out into the bay. When she saw the fur color, she began to move faster, soon jogging, and at last running. "Fox!!!" She screamed. He heart beat faster and harder. She got excited. The vixen forgot it was all inside of the evil fox's head. She forgot that none of this was real. She was lost in her eagerness to see the vulpine, to touch him and to hold him.

She jumped over the corner, landing on the bridge. The red vulpine had rose from his sitting position and stood to greet her. He hadn't prepared for the force that she was running at. When she mad contact with him, the red vulpine stumbled back a few steps. Krystal wrapped both arms around his chest, and buried her muzzle into the soft and warm fur around his neck. She nuzzled it, and nipped at it. She whined from the back of throat, whimpering, and _so_ close to the crossing the verge into crying. She sighed into his neck, closing her eyes and lost within the man's homely and comfortably safe arms.

"Hey! Be careful up here!"

She was on the border of tears. "Fox!!! I've missed you _so_ much!!!"

The vulpine put his arms around her back. "What? I've only been gone five minuets."

Krystal held him tight. "Five minuets?"

The vixen held him tighter yet. She sighed into the fur around his neck with a shuddering breath. She never wanted to let go. She never thought that this moment would come again. A tear beaded down from a closed eye, rolling down her fur landing on the vulpine's shoulder. She panted into him, before realizing that he was getting cold. She ignored it for a moment, and pulled herself away looking at him. Her heart began beating faster, she began to get afraid. She didn't know what exactly yet, but something was wrong.

She looked into his eyes. A shuddering whisper escaped her lips. "F-Fox?"

The last thing that she saw was him smiling at her. He began to pale a little, before his body became surrounded in blue, and white. Blue and white lights streaked through his body, cutting through his chest and torso. His image began to fade. The lights became even brighter, they blinded Krystal. The next time she opened them; there was nothing but a dimming white and blue light. Fox was no longer there.

Her heart beat into her ears, and a whisper fell from her mouth. "No…"

An extremely loud crack rang through her ears. It sounded as if it were thunder. It echoed through the bay. She sprang both her arms upward, covering them over her ears and closing her eyes. She wanted to burst into tears. He was taunting her. Syxx knew what she wanted, and he was in enough of a mood to give it to her and take it away, just as easy. Her heart filled with hate for this black fox.

The vixen felt a drop of water fall onto her nose. It caused her to open up her eyes. She scanned the area with her eyes only. She was in the deep jungle now. She dropped her paws from over her head, and stared up toward the sky. As she did, a drop of water, fell and hit her right in the forehead. The sky was gloomy, and still darkening. Distant thunder soon grew closer, and what was at first barely a drizzle of rain, progressively became harder, soon pouring buckets over the Cerinian.

She was in a small clearing in the deep rain forest. It wasn't even big enough to land a small fighter ship in. The vixen listened to the sounds of the rain forest. She didn't know what to think. She was confused; until, she heard something in the bushes around her. It was nothing stalking her. It was more like someone was running through the forest. She listened as the hard steps got closer, and closer. She moved out of the small clearing and hid behind a tree on the other side. She peaked around the corner of the large trucked tree, waiting for the steps to get closer. By this time she was already soaked with rain.

The fast moving steps got closer to her. She began to hear panting and the branches of trees move. The calmness of the small clearing was ruptured, as someone burst through. Her heart beat into her ears as she saw it was none other then Fox. He burst into the clearing, tripping over a log on the edge. The vulpine fell into the mud, immediately covering the bottom front half oh his body in mud.

He rolled over in the mud. He looked the direction that he had come. He panted hard. The vixen saw the fear in his eyes as they scanned quickly through the forest. She had never seen Fox this afraid. His body was being pushed beyond it physical limits. She wanted to come out and to comfort him, but he turned his body around from sitting in the mud. His left boot slipped through the sludge; sending the dirt up his back and into the air. He took off in the opposite direction as he had come, running as if his life were in danger, and it depended on his agility.

Krystal couldn't help being afraid. She listened to Fox's footsteps trail off into the distance. She was about to turn around the tree, when something else came speeding through the trees and into the clearing. She froze with her back to the trunk, once again. She heard nothing, and her curiosity soon got the best of her. Krystal slowly peaked around the corner of the trunk. At first she saw a black tail with a white tip. She looked farther, and saw a black furred man in camouflage pants, and a tight green shirt.

The man took a knee. He looked at the tracks in the slime. He studied them for a moment. Without warning, he blinked and looked up, right to where Krystal was looking from. She quickly moved her head back around the corner, her back to the tree. She tried to suppress her breathing, and her fear. She wasn't sure if he saw her or not. Her limbs began to tremble; she tried her best no to move, and not to make a single sound. Her ears twitched, as she listened. She rolled her bushy blue tail around her body, and brought the tip right into her chest, holding it with both paws.

Long moments passed, and she still heard nothing. She slowly, peaked around the corner; just enough to see the man's silky black tail, slowly flow back and forth. She watched it, and soon it disappeared in a flash. Krystal quickly looked around the corner of the tree, seeing what direction he headed in, but she was only fast enough to catch the waving branch of another tree indicating, that he had just gone by. Unlike Fox this man moved fast and completely silently. That was what Fox must have been so afraid of.

The vixen took a deep breath. She contemplated whether to follow or not. In another moment, her question was answered. She heard a loud scream, like the screech of a thousand bats in her ears. The world around her flashed white, and the scenery became dark and the rain stopped. She could barely see the paw in front of her. She was now in the forest, when it was dark, and she was alone.

Her heart leapt, as she heard a twig snap right behind her in the pitch black and silent night. She had no idea where it had come from. She froze, listening, while her head beat only got stronger and faster yet. She heard another sound. She arched her back up to the tree. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She listened, and tried to see the shadow that crept around her in the dark.

"F-Fox?" She whispered to that shadows. "Is that you?"

"_Krys._" The vixen gasped as a voice whispered directly into her left ear. She jumped away from the tree. The voice was moist and warm. She looked through the dark and through the dark shadows, now facing the tree that she had her back too. She slowly backed away. Her breath shuddered and her jaw trembled in horror.

"Fox. Stop it. You're scaring me."

"Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha ha, ha ha…"' The menacing laughed grew strong before fading.

The blue fox spun around. The voice had come from behind her once again. She took a few clumsy steps backwards before turning around and taking off running. She could barely see enough to navigate through the dark forest. She panted, running as fast as her legs would carry her. Tree branches and shrubs slapped at her face and torso, but she ignored them. Still running. She felt tears at her eyes. Tears of loss. Tears of fear.

Was it becoming morning already? The scenery around her began to grow brighter; it was like it was day now. It became brighter yet though. Then next moment the light was blinding. She closed her eyes shut, tight; drawing out the remaining tears of terror.

She opened them again. Krystal found herself back at the bay, in the same place that she had entered. She breathed deeply and started running down the path, going back to where she had seen Fox over the bridge the first time. And he was there once again, but he was not alone. There was another man there with him; another fox, in black fur. She knew this was not good. This was really bad.

She ran as fast as her feat would carry her. She approached the bridge that stood before the waterfall. She watched the black fox lift the red one up with a single paw. With the other paw he slowly drew out a blade from his belt. The red vulpine struggled, breathing heavily and holding both paws onto the single arm that lifted him from the ground. Fox tried to keep himself from suffocating… but he was dying.

The black vulpine drew the blade backward. Krystal's heart raced. She wasn't going to make it. She screamed at the top of her lungs. "STOP!!!"

She heard Fox try shout back at her but his voice was scratchy as the black fox slowly suffocated him. "Krystal! No!"

`The vixen saw the black fox begin to swing the knife, aiming it right for Fox's neck. Krystal jumped, throwing all her body weight into her shoulder and that into the side of the black vulpine. The dark fox fell, letting go of the knife and releasing Fox. The red vulpine fell from the bridge, bouncing once, and from there into the water, tens of meters below. It hit with a _sploosh_. Krystal was on her stomach and peeked over the edge of the catwalk-like and non-railed bridge.

A large black boot stepped right beside her head. She froze, slowly looking up the leg, torso and into the familiar eyes of the black fox. She rolled over to her back, trying to crawl and drag herself away. She got up to her feet. The vixen's sandals scraped the surface of the walk, as she leaped to escape.

Krystal yelped. The black fox grabbed her tail while she was in midair. Her face slammed into the hard surface of the bridge. The black fox drug her backward by the tail, making her whimper and whine. She turned around over onto her back again. A black paw clamped around her neck, and in turn she out both her paws around the arm that pinned her down. She stared in terror, as the man's other paw lifted up into the air behind his shoulder. A shimmery gleam reflected from the knife.

"Please…" Krystal begged. Tears burned at her eyes. "I know you're in there somewhere Fox. You're better this… Fox."

The man's face remained emotionless. It was as if he hesitated for a moment, before he sighed. He brought the blade up over his shoulder a few more inches, and crashed it downward, aiming it right between her eyes.

"NO!!!"

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

Kursed stumbled backwards. She hid her face behind her arms. The blue vixen slowly opened her eyes. She was back on the Final Haste. Her breath shuddered. She thought she had taken _it_ hard. But she was nothing like him. Kursed put down her arm after drying a tear. The other fox stared at her, with slightly bared teeth, and a wrinkled nose.

"…Fox… I…"

"Are you done?" She could tell that he was suppressing tears. "You've got what you want. Now just let me go."

Kursed was about to say something, but an alert came over the intercom. It broadcasted over the whole ship. "Security breech. Barrack Block 7G. Security personal please respond." It was a female's voice.

Kursed looked toward the speakers then back to the black fox. She swore to herself.

She started at the vulpine. The black fox laughed in response, showing a golden tooth. He knew what she was asking with her eyes. He licked his dry lips, still chuckling. "I don't know where she is." He looked toward the floor.

The blue vixen growled at Syxx. She pulled the Blaster from its holster. "She!?!"

Syxx looked back up. "Yeah. And be careful. She can be a real b-tch sometimes."

Kursed looked around the room with her eyes and mind. She could feel a power, it was similar to when she had sensed Fox, but this one was unique, just as every mind was. She could feel this individual's power. "Why don't you come out and make this fight fair?" She spoke into the air.

Syxx laughed at her. Kursed spun around, leering at him. "What's so funny?"

"She won't come out. She's a Slayer. Anything that she can do to put the fight toward her side, she'll do. No matter how unfair, A Slayer always wins."

She smiled out of the side of her mouth. "And yet for the second time, you become my pet."

Syxx snorted and looked away. He knew that she was right. "Watch your step. Anyone can be your last."

"Hey."

Kursed felt her heart leap. The sound came right out of the thin air. She spun around facing where she had heard the voice. Out of the air a shadow began to dissolve, until it was completely visible. A silver visor stared at her, while a red tail waved back and forth. Kursed aimed her weapon toward the other vixen.

The blue fox motioned the Blaster toward the floor. "Get on the ground."

The Slayer just laughed back at her. "You think that that's going to work?"

Kursed snarled. "Who are you!?!"

Kyla remained calm. She walked around as if she owned the ship. She held the tall sniper rifle in one paw. She didn't even point it at Kursed. This insulted the vixen even more. Kyla walked toward the vixen. She slowly took off the helmet.

The blue vixen gasped. "You're… you're a…"

"I'm what? I'm a girl? I'm a fox?"

Kursed pointed the weapon toward her head. "Stop!"

The silver visor started back at her, but nothing was said.

Syxx coughed. "If you can get me out of here, there's a special prize in it for you."

The Slayer paused, looking at the other vixen through the silver. "Drop the weapon."

Kursed gave her a confused look. "Who do you think you are?"

The red vixen laughed. She dropped her helmet to the floor.

Kursed snarled. "What's so funny?"

The vixen smiled timidly. "It's cure."

"What is!?!"

Syxx stared toward the floor weakly. He gave out a dry laugh and let out a statement. "You think you have a chance."

The red Slayer slowly stepped forward. Kursed knew the power of these Slayers, without a hesitation, she fired. A fiery ball of plasma contacted with the chest pad. But the Vortec was strong enough to withstand the single shot, even at the close range. The Slayer wasted no time. She jumped, and overwhelmed Kursed. The blue vixen had no chance at this range against a Vortec, and a Slayer and most importantly, she had no chance against Kyla. Not without her staff at least.

A paw latched around her neck. The force was incredible. She slowly suffocated. Kursed gasped as best she could. She found herself staring back into another fox. This one red. A vixen, just as she was. The blue fox was given a friendly smile from the other fox, as the tip of a weapon was placed into her stomach. With the quick release of a burst of air, and a sharp pain, Kursed found herself growing woozy. She tried to hang on to consciousness but she was unsure if she was being knocked out, or was dying. But soon it was all black to her.

Kyla lifted the vixen straight from the ground, before dropping her to a heap on the floor. She nudged the body with her boot, ensuring that the dart had taken its effect.

The black fox swallowed the little saliva in his dry mouth. "What took you?"

The last thing he expected was the reaction that he got. Kyla struck him across the face. Hard. "That's for the b-tch remark."

"Fair enough."

"Now let's get you out of here." She took the neck harness from around the fox's neck and released it. "_Fox McCloud_."

Syxx remained silent for a moment. "So you heard that huh?"

"Yeah. And it all adds up too. Why you hate Starfox… why Fox died." She looked at the floor in the middle of releasing Syxx. "So that would make her Krystal, wouldn't it?"

"I guess it would."

Kyla paused. She put her muzzle right up to Syxx's. "Well… you know what I thought right? I always thought Fox McCloud was…" Syxx saw her cheeks heat. "Kind of _cute_."

"Huh… you're not mad."

"No." She shook her head and strung some hair back with a paw. "Every Slayer is one for a reason. Now, I know what yours is." She grinned.

Syxx fell from the wall. His legs barely had the strength the keep him up. "Thanks for coming back."

"You would have done the same."

Syxx coughed. "Yeah… I would have."

Syxx looked toward the red vixen, forgetting Krystal. _Fox_ had always been a leader, but Slayer had taught him to act solo. For the first time… he saw the opportunity for Slayers to work together… as a team…. Together.


	32. Overwhelming

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXII**

**Overwhelming

* * *

**"_Forgo the old romances,  
I'm inclined to take some chances now,  
I won't step backwards,  
Won't change my mind,  
I am for real this time,_

_I never wanted to be,  
I always hoped you would see,  
I never meant to lose my trust in you,  
_

_Without a love you could see,  
With all the air that you breathe,  
I always meant to keep my trust in you."_

**DAYFEED **_**- "Trust in You"

* * *

  
**_

"Move. Move!"

"As soon as this Slayer hits the tarmac, I want medics on him! Report Slayer Sixty Six to the APC!"

"Understood Sergeant!"

The midnight night air buzzed with excitement. Dark matter fueled the engines whine. They all awaited the return of the Slayers. The wind made the night cool, and thin hazy clouds dashed the star spotted sky. A light in the sky began to move. It was completely undetectable by the radar systems of the base. The troops had the shout over the sounds of the many running engines around them, and whistling wind across the flat tarmac.

"Is that it!?!"

"Yeah! That's gotta' be it! I got nothing on the radar! Sergeant that's it."

"Sounds like an F1 to me!"

The radios chirped with activity, as the lead officer transferred in the information. "Sir. One SFX F1 Hook Echo spotted."

"That's all you should expect Sergeant. A covert ops team has been sent to retrieve the second Hook Echo. One board are both Slayers. Report Slayer Sixty Six to the Medical Depot."

"Understood Sir!" The ground troop said into the radio. "Medical teams to your stations! Rendezvous with that fighter!"

"Yes Sir!"

The distant light soon grew close. The silver underside of the ship shone against the lights on the runway. The ship hovered for a moment before the landing gears in the belly tracked out, and the ship landed vertically. Teams and vehicles rushed to the position. Just as they neared the landed ship, all of them kept their distance. They were ordered to do all they could to help, but many stood back in fear of being that close to a real live Slayer… and if that were not bad enough, there were two. The only thing that could possibly be worse then an angry Slayer, was a wounded Slayer. They knew to be careful, and to follow the orders of a Slayer, even though they had no rank.

The silver hatch opened. A half armored red vixen jumped out of the cock pit, placing her boot on black fuselage, and moved another to the silver wing. She still stared into the cab. Kyla reached both paws in, and hoisted another fox, this one black, out of the cock pit. The black fox looked tired, and weakened, nearly to the point where he had trouble walking, let alone getting out of the ship all by himself.

With the help of the other Slayer, Syxx put his boots to the tarmac. He was tired. He was hungry, and he was agitated. His muscles burned. The fox could still walk on his own; but barely. Kyla helped him, by doubling her shoulder under his arm, supporting his weight. Kyla sill wore the lower half of her Vortec armoring. Syxx on the other hand was in a baggy set of camouflage pants, and a green shirt. He still wore the boots of the Vortec.

A feline approached the pair. "We have orders to relive you of Slayer Sixty Six. We'll take it from here."

A hound ran a scanner that emitted a blue light across Syxx's body. "Sleep deprived, dehydrated, and starving to death. No big deal. We'll have him fixed up in no time."

The medic grabbed Syxx's arm. Syxx reacted. He circled the same arm around the medics own arm. He pulled down, elbowing the hound in the upper back, as he fell to the ground, just to the side of the black fox. Kyla had backed off, knowing that the fox had to vent out some anger right now. She was one of the few if not the only one that could predict his moves.

The larger and taller hound dropped the silvery tarmac. Syxx growled. "You don't f-ck-ng touch me."

The grey feline took a step back. "Mister Syxx, if you'll just come with us-"

"I can take care of myself."

"My orders are-"

"As of now, your orders are reinstated _Sergeant_. You and everyone else on this runway, have the permission to go home, and go to bed. Tell them, Syxx told you so." Syxx nearly smiled, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure they'll understand."

The medic was dumbstruck. He didn't want to disagree with a Slayer. The medic would sooner follow a Slayer's orders before even a Cornerian General. "But- uhh…"

"Can I hear a _Yes Sir_?"

"Yes Sir!!!"

Syxx took a quick step toward the medic. "BEAT IT!!!" He roared. Without hesitation, the medic took off running after stumbling over his own boots and joined in along with the rest of his assembled team which had soon after split up.

"Come on Syxx, he's just trying to help. You don't have to bite his head off." Kyla tried to calm the Slayer.

"Bite me."

Kyla rolled her eyes and shook her head. It took the Slayer pair an hour to walk back to the barracks. Their progress was slowed because of Syxx. Most of the time, he refused Kyla's help, until his exhaustion got the best of him. He was tired, he was hungry, and he was thirsty. Syxx was weak, but still dangerous. They made their way up the stairs, and Kyla lowered the larger fox down and onto the bed.

Kyla sighed as the weight came off her shoulders. She sat down on the bed beside the black vulpine. Syxx looked at her eyes. Her whole face had a glowing smile in the twilight of impending dawn. Syxx knew why she was happy. Kyla had been kind of the nosy and jealous type, but there was no need for her to be that way toward him anymore. She knew about his whole past. She knew his story, and she while not knew his pain, understood it.

Syxx growled. "So… you know now."

"And I can't believe it. I can't believe it didn't come across my mind. It all adds up. You… you're Fox McCloud."

Syxx snapped back. "Don't you ever call me that again! You address me as _Syxx_, just as everyone else does! Go it?"

"Relax. I get it… I get it."

"Oh, and one more thing." Syxx growled at her. She had never before seen him with as serious a look as he had now. "If you, _ever_ tell _anyone_ who I am…"

She put a finger over his lips. "Shhh. I'm not going to say that I know your pain." She leaned in, taking her paw away and giving him a kiss across the lips. She continued, whispering. "No matter what happens, I'll never tell anyone what happened, and who you are. I understand you now and why you are how you are… and I'll take care of you… _Syxx_."

_**

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X

* * *

**_Syxx rolled over in his bed. It felt like such a short time ago, that he had fallen asleep. He must have only slept a few hours. It was nearly dawn when he gotten into bed. He remembered that right after his head hit the pillow he crashed. It wasn't like him to sleep long, and surprisingly enough after getting enough of what he thought was sleep hanging off the wall, being tortured, he still was tired. He rubbed his eyes with both paws, while stretching out his back. He heard it _snap_ piercingly several times. He felt light headed as he let all his muscles and bones relax again.

"Well doesn't that just sound nice?"

Syxx rolled over in his bed. His groggy voice grumbled. "Give me a break."

She laughed. "A break? A_ break_ says the guy that's been sleeping the last thirty hours."

Syxx rose out of the sheets slightly. "Wha- thirty hours?"

"Yeah. You completely missed yesterday."

"_Ughhh…_ Why didn't you wake me?"

"I knew that you needed the rest. Besides," she cocked her head cutely, and grinned, "you looked so peaceful." She laughed. "I figured if I woke you up, you might have _tried_ to kill me."

Syxx lay on the bed, and propped his head up on his paw and forearm. He closed his eyes, smiling. "You should have sent Pyro to get me up."

"As much as I would have liked to see that, I knew you needed your rest." She turned her tail to him, swishing it through the air as she retrieved a tray and set it on the bed in front of him. On it were bacon, eggs, toast so other foods and two bottles of water. "You've gotta' be starving."

Syxx looked up at her, past his eyebrows and forehead. She smiled, as his eyes thanked her. The fox took a bottle of water, leaned back on his bed, and put the bottle in his mouth. She watched the level in the bottle decreased more, and more. The fox chugged it down until it was empty. When it was finally empty, he took the bottle from his mouth, and closed his eyes. A final drop ran down the side of his mouth and into the sheets of the bed. He let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Wow." Said Kyla.

Syxx picked at the food with the fork, slowly eating and savoring the meal. "So, what did I miss?"

"Oh, well… you're going to get a medal."

Syxx looked up at her. "A medal?" he asked.

"More then one too, I'd guess. I over heard yesterday. As far as I know, it's for being a POW, oh and a Purple Heart for being shot."

"Is that all? Huh… nothing exiting goes on here? Anything with you?"

"Not too much. Nothing goes on around here anymore. Reconnaissance was as boring as always. I don't understand why if they made Slayers, then why we don't get time to go out and fight like how we were trained."

"Well, maybe it's something that we should look into."

The vixen cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

Syxx found himself become a little impatient with the fox. "What I _mean _is, that we take a sneak peek at the files; get to know about Slayer, and who we really are."

"But what if we get caught?"

Syxx smiled evilly and raised an eyebrow. "What _if _we get caught?"

Kyla sighed thinking about it. Though she was a part of the program, she had never really given much thought to what it was or what it was really about. But, most of all, she wanted to know all the recruits histories. She was nosy, and she knew it. Sometimes it got the best of her. She couldn't help being curious. It's who she was.

Syxx got impatient with her silence. "You got anything better to do today?"

"Uhh…"

"If you don't wanna' come, then I'll just go alone."

"No. I want to go with you. Let's just wait until its dark at least."

"Fine." Syxx quickly finished his meal, and set the plate down on the floor beside the bed. He pushed his muzzle into the pillow, lying on his stomach. He moaned.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine." His muffled voice came through the pillow.

Kyla walked toward his bed. "Is it your back?"

"It's nothing."

Kyla sat down on the side of the vulpine's bedside. She slowly moved a paw toward his neck. She put both paws down and pressed them into his shoulder blades. She rubbed her paws over his back. She felt him exhale, and heard him moan.

She pushed harder into his back, almost as if showing a sliver of rage. "Has anyone ever told you, that you're _very_ stubborn?"

Syxx rolled his muzzle over to the side of the pillow. "I thought I heard you say something about it."

"Does that feel good?" She pushed into his shoulder blades rubbing all over.

The black fox didn't give her an answer, but groaned once more; closing his eyes.

"You're so tense. You need to relax." Kyla felt his tight muscles begin to retract as she rubbed her paws over his back. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you Syxx."

* * *

_**X

* * *

  
**_

She couldn't believe it. He was right there. He was right under her claws. He was so close. She didn't make the best of her opportunity. Kursed lay on the bed; her back toward the ceiling, and her stomach over the quilts. Her eyes remained shut, tears trickling down her fur, making their short voyage to the bed. She grasped the sheets in her fist, holding them tightly in sorrow, angry, and remorse. She couldn't bare thinking about Fox and how he was. She had really done a number on him. She found out how much his mind had changed. He wasn't the same. He would never be the same.

She took a deep breath, and let it out in shuddering teary gasps. She held a picture in toward her breasts. "Oh… Fox. I… never meant to lose my trust in you. I should have listened to what you said."

The vixen kept her eyes shut. She didn't want to see the light anymore. She didn't want to see anything. The only thing she wanted to see was Fox. But he wasn't there. She had been taking many thoughts into consideration. She wanted to see him again so badly. She just wanted to be with the old and _normal _Fox McCloud… but that wasn't possible. _Fox_ wasn't alive.

The blue vulpine was tired of being _Kursed_. She was tired of being a bounty hunter. She still felt angry with Fox, even though, she knew all of this was here fault. She just wished she could go to a place, where she wouldn't have to talk to anyone. She wanted to go to a place where everyone could just forget her. There was only one place she knew that existed like that. But she feared throwing it all away again. The last time she threw it away, she was left with very little, but if she did it again, she could be left with nothing.

She knew that everyone would want to know. She wanted to get him back yet again, to expose the fox for who he really was. She shook her head, remembering what had happened the last time she had tried to seek revenge on him. But it tempted her. How she wished she could do so, to see Fox just crawl back to her, but he would never do that. He worked so hard to be who he was now. He worked harder than she ever did. She questioned if anyone would even believe her. No. She couldn't go back to Corneria. No matter how bad she wanted to see Fox again. Though she would be telling the truth, she wouldn't be creditable enough for anyone to look into it.

She turned around on her bed, now facing the old, and boring grey ceiling. She knew of a place. A place where no one could find her, and she could live on her own. She could live in solitude there for the rest of her life. She thought about it for a long time, and after a long while, she made her decision.

The vixen rolled herself out her bed, wiping her eyes with her forearm. She fell to her knees, looking under the bed and grabbed her staff and a small black box. She took all the pictures that were all over the bed, and stuffed them into the box. From there, she put what little she had into a small back pack and the Blaster into its place on her holster. Kursed put the small pack over her shoulders. Her Staff was taller then her, she used it as a walking stick, making her way to the door.

She was going to a place where no one would ever be able to find her. A place where she could be alone and forgotten until she died. She was going to Sauria.

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

"Come on, let's go."

Syxx and Kyla crept around the outsides of buildings. They both hugged the walls tight, and tried to keep a low crouch while still moving as fast as they could through the shadows of the night. They were good. They were Slayers. They had no weapons, nor was this a scenario were they really did need them. This wasn't a routine mission either though. This one was for _fun_ and for they Slayer's benefit only. They would keep a low profile, and as long as no one got in the way, then there would be no issues; not that they cared anyways though.

Syxx hugged the wall in front of one of the training buildings. The inside was completely dark, while the sidewalk that led from the small trailing roads around the base was lit up right to the door. Syxx was unsure if there were cameras or not. It was probably best not to find out. As long as no one needed to find them, they wouldn't track their location down via the chips in the Slayer's neck. They only had a small window of opportunity if they were to be undetected.

Syxx kept to the dark. "The front doors are going to be locked." Syxx looked up the wall. He wished he had the Vortec. He could simply scale the walls with that kind of power.

"Maybe we can get in through the roof."

Syxx looked up. "Hey. You think you could make it to one of those windows."

Kyla looked up and then back toward Syxx. "Care to lend a paw?"

"My pleasure." Syxx joined his paws together.

Kyla put her boot down on Syxx's paws. "Ready."

For what seemed to be the first time, two Slayers worked together coordinately. They both worked for the same objective and Syxx saw potential in that. Kyla leveled down, before with all his available strength, Syxx pulled up. Kyla was sent flying. She grabbed onto the window ledge on the second story. With all her might, she pulled herself up onto the ledge. The unlocked window slid open, and Kyla disappeared within.

Soon Kyla came down the stairs and cracked upon the front door. She propped the clear glass door open with her boot. She looked at Syxx, put a paw on her hip, smiled, and with one raised finger, she folded it in and out. The black fox looked down the lit path to his right. He made sure no one was spying on them. The black made the short distance to the door and disappeared into the safe darkness within.

"Ok. Let's find Harpers office. Everything should be there."

"Yeah ok." The vixen replied.

They walked down the middle of the dark halls. There was nothing to guide their way except their memories, and the echoes of their tapping boots through the halls. Syxx turned through the door of one office. "This is it."

Kyla immediately made her way to the window. She peeked out of it, looking upon the streets and the entrance. With one swift motion, she closed the black blinds. Syxx turned on the lights and shut the door. Their eyes quickly adjusted to the light. Syxx took a seat in the large soft chair in front of the large wooden desk.

The black fox opened a desk drawer. "Let's be quick. Don't mess anything up; leave it just as you found it."

Kyla opened a large cabinet in the back corner. "I won't."

Syxx opened the looked in the first drawer. It was full of pens, paper clips, highlighters, and regular office supplies. He went down the next small drawer. In it was a stack of loose papers. He plopped them on the desk and went through them one by one. After the first paper, he knew what they all were. Each paper was a brief outline of each Slayer. It stated their awards, their missions and their first, last and middle names. Syxx flipped through them. Many said KIA. He found his. It had his shoulder patch, name, number, and what little they knew about him. They stated his specialty skills and awards.

Syxx flipped through the files to find Kyla's. He looked through her information. "Delphine."

Kyla looked over her shoulder. She looked at him through her deep blue eyes. "Wha- What?"

"You're last name."

"Uhh… yeah. That is right."

"Do you know what Delphine means?"

"I never really thought of it."

"It means calmness. You take well after your last name. I've never seen you mad, or barely even upset. You've… always been peaceful."

She grinned at him, blushing. "Thank you."

"Yeah…" Syxx became lost in her eyes for a moment. He then shook his head. "Let's just try to find what we're looking for."

She giggled. "I'm not the one staring."

Syxx just sighed in return.

Kyla grinned. "It's ok. It's perfectly natural."

"Yeah. Whatever."

Kyla flipped through the papers with her claw tips. "I don't think any of these have anything to do with Slayer. You finding anything Syxx?" She flipped through more files. "Syxx." She froze, and turned around. "Syxx?"

She looked to see him leaning back in the chair. His eyes moved back and forth, down the paper as he read the lines. It seamed as if he were getting angrier as he went further into the text. Kyla dropped what she was doing and went to see what he was reading. She knew that he had found something. This was the something that they were looking for.

"What is it Syxx?"

The vulpine read allowed. "Slayer is a program that is hidden from the public. All recruits are the lowest on the social chain, these recruits are most likely to be the most aggressive, and at the same time, are one hundred percent expendable while the unbeknownst to the public have become fatalities in project training. All are replaceable and expendable."

Kyla reread what Syxx had said just to ensure it was true. She couldn't help but feel a little crushed, knowing that all she had been trained for could be completely forgotten about, and she lost. The military didn't care about who they were. They just wanted cheep expendable personnel for their cruel training.

"Expendable. All of us. We can all just be replaced." Syxx wrinkled his muzzle in disgust.

"What do we do?"

"I don't know. But I'm not feeling too patriotic right about now."


	33. Slaves of the System

Authors Note:  
I know this is really late. For the past three weeks I've been down with the flu, boarding, snowmobiling, and dealing with my sponsors. This is a really hectic time for me right now too. Also, thanks to a fan and also a friend. "Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul" now has an exclusive theme song. You can check the link for that on the art wall on my profile.

Keep it Open,  
SyxxFox

**

* * *

Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXIII**

**Slaves of the System

* * *

**"_It only takes one to inspire a change,  
Or to motivate and show us the way,  
And when that one stands up and shows,  
Will you make the choice?  
Raise your voice?  
Let nothing drown you out._

_We live blind,  
Open up your eyes,  
To injustice,  
Open up your eyes,  
Free your mind,  
Open up your eyes,  
Of ignorance,"_

**TRACENINE **_**– "Open up You're Eyes"

* * *

  
**_

"Syxx." The red vixen had finally caught up to the black fox at the end of the day. He had gotten up early, earlier then usual. Somehow he had been able to avoid her the whole day after that. "Are you alright? I haven't seen you the whole day? Where have you been?"

Syxx lifted on the weights with a single arm. He remained silent for the last few reps before he set the weight down on the rack with the rest of the equipment. He turned his back to her, heading in a different direction. "I'm fine. I've been here all day."

"You have not. I checked here three times."

"Then I guess I've just been around."

"Why are you trying to avoid me? You haven't talked to me since last night."

"I haven't been trying to avoid you."

"Don't lie to me. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Remember our conversation about you being stubborn?"

"Yes, and I didn't deny anything about it."

Kyla spun around and for the first time saw the fox's face. He knew that she would be able to read it. She saw the look on his face. It was expressionless, but it was as if she read his mind. "I hope to god that you're not thinking what I think you are."

Syxx smiled. "I'm not thinking anything." He turned his back to her.

"Hey!" Kyla ran around the side of him turning back to the black fox. "Promise me, that you're not going to do anything."

Syxx turned away from her once again.

Kyla felt a spark of angry bolt through her. "Listen to me!!!"

"No! You listen to me!" Syxx snapped back and stepped up to the window of the gym. He looked out over the sunny fields of the base. Hundreds of Marines and Infantrymen trained, and marched over the grasses and old trailing roads. Syxx took a deep breath. He closed his eyes.

"Syxx?" the vixen put a paw on his shoulder, and stepped up beside him.

The black vulpine opened his eyes. "Look at all of them."

"What are you talking about?"

"Kyla… just…" Syxx sighed. "Look at them. There's so many." He bared his golden tooth, while flicking his left chipped ear.

"I – I don't understand… what-"

The vulpine growled and spoke through a clamped jaw. "They're all so weak. All of them. They are all so pitiful. A single Slayer is valuable then an entire platoon of Marines." Syxx put his paw on the window. "So weak."

"What are you getting at?"

Syxx turned to her. He opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something. Then he closed his eyes, looking back out to the window once more before he spun around, making his way toward the exit. Kyla watched his back, glancing out the window once more, and then running to catch up to him.

"Syxx! Wait! What are you doing!?! Where are you going!?!"

She had to jog to keep up to Syxx's long and fast paced walk. The black vulpine wallowed in self pity. "We're Slaves. All of the Slayers. We were built to kill. What do we get? We get recon. We get pointless tasks. It's a joke. It's all just a big joke."

"Stop!!!" Kyla ran out in front of him blocking his way. "What's going through your head right now? What are you going to do?"

"I'm done."

"What? You're done? You're done what?"

"I'm done with Slayer. I've had enough. Open up your eyes, we dealt with their injustice and ignorance for long enough."

Kyla's jaw fluttered open. "What? You've had enough? You've had enough of all of this? You've had enough of me?"

"Then come with me."

"But-"

"Exactly." Syxx jabbed her in the chest with a singer finger, making her stumble backward. "_But_. Then stay her."

"They're just going to track you down you know. Remember the chip in your neck. They'll send assassins. They'll do anything to-"

Syxx cut her off. "To _try_ and kill a Slayer." He grinned out of the corner of his muzzle.

"Regardless of that, they'll find you. I don't want you to end up dead."

"Then if you don't want me to die, you'll take the smarter route, and come with me." Syxx lifted his paw to the back of his neck. He rubbed it over the plastic computer board.

"What are you doing!?!" She hissed at him.

Syxx rolled his paw across the chip. It had been a part of him for so long. His fur and skin had gown around it. He wrapped his fingers around it. He pinched the computer board and his fur, and with one fast tug, and the sound of tearing flesh he ripped out the chip. Hot air burned the back of his throat, as he tried not to cry out in pain. His breathing became heavy. He pulled the chip around from the back of his neck and for the first time since he had ever became a Slayer; Syxx got to see what his own chip looked like. It was a small back square with the numbers six-six in it. He own paw was covered in a film of sticky warm blood.

Syxx looked at his paw. "It only takes one to inspire a change."

Kyla gulped. "So you're really serious about this?"

"Yeah." Syxx dropped the chip into his pocket.

"You're crazy. And it would be even crazier for you to go alone. I'm going with you."

"You don't have to."

She smiled up at him. "But I want to."

* * *

_**X

* * *

  
**_

Syxx looked up at the bottom of the bunk above him. He waited. Soon it would be time. In one paw he rolled his knuckle across the hilt of the Night Knife, and in the other he held a small data chip. Kyla and he had decided to let Pyro and Cobalt in on their little secret, in hopes of some assistance. They got their assistance alright. The other two Slayers were even gracious enough to join them after finding out the foundation of the Project Slayer. Each of them had removed their chips, and kept them on their person. As far as the trackers knew, they were still in their necks.

They had certain objectives. They had to retrieve their Mapaw's from the compound along with their Vortec's and all make a clean get away in their Hook Echoes. This was more like a routine mission then ever before. This would be simple.

Syxx counted the seconds tick on by in his head. He awaited the time, and soon it came. He calmed his heart beat, and he jumped out of bed. He set the data chip from his paw onto the top of the pillow. That would buy them all the time that they needed, as long as they were not spotted. Syxx's arising was followed soon by Kyla's. She did the exact same as he did.

They didn't say a word to each other, not even when they met up with Cobalt and Pyro in the halls of the building. Their boots didn't make a sound as they scurried down the halls and stairs. They made it outside the building, and ran along the walls to make it to the rear, where it was dark. We're they could not be seen.

Pyro sat up against the wall. "Well that was fun."

"Slayers." Syxx looked at the elite soldiers. "This is your last chance. You're last chance to turn back. If you're going to do so, do so now. Do not waste my time."

Kyla's shining eyes look toward him. "No. I'm with you… Sir."

Cobalt nodded. "Yes Sir."

"I'm with you too. I think it's just time for a little fun… Sir." Pyro smiled.

Syxx looked at each on of their eyes. He knew that they were under his command now. This was his new team. They were more elite; faster and stronger and smarter then his other team ever could be. "Alright, you all left your tracking chips behind."

The Slayers nodded.

"Good." Syxx continued. "Its 0-two hundred hours right now. I want us off the surface of this planet by two-thirty. Move silent and swift; and we will complete our mission. Don't let anyone see you. Anyone that spots you or gets in your way is expendable. Let's make our way to the compound, and pick up our weapons and the Vortec's. From their, we make our way to the hangers. Any questions? No? Let's all stick together. Keep low."

The Slayers all moved out together. They ran across the dark fields, making their way to the complex that withheld their specialized weapons and armor. They took cover behind the hedges across from the building. The lights on the outside were on, and the road was illuminated by the street lights.

With a series of hand signals, the team moved across the street, one at a time. Even at this time of night, the complex was busy. Officers often went in and out the front doors. But they weren't going to go through the front doors. They were going to go through the back; were it was dark; where it was safe.

In the back was an old and thick winter door. Kyla turned the knob. It was locked. The vixen looked to the windows on the above floor, then to Syxx. The black fox nodded, putting his paws together. She put her boot down, and Syxx thrust her upward. The vixen grabbed onto the window ledge above. It did take her long to open it and come around from the inside to open the door.

Syxx motioned for the rest of the Slayers to enter before he did. "Ladies first."

The rest of them remained silent. Even Pyro, who still did have something smart to say but it wasn't the time for him to go on a rant, and he knew that. The Slayers kept to the dark halls that were deserted at this time of night. They made their way to the room that contained their Mapaw weapons. Each of them holstered their pistols, and carried with them the silver box that withheld the rest of the add-ons to the weapon. It didn't take long for them to assemble into their Vortec's either.

Syxx threw a silver box through the air. Pyro caught it in a paw. "What the h-ll man!?!"

"You're a part of the team now. Kyla, pass of your case to Cobalt."

"One sec." Kyla pulled the extended barrel and but out of the case. She placed it on her pistol, along with a powerful scope. She handed what was left in the silver box to Cobalt.

Syxx placed a longer barrel on the end of the already massive pistol. "You two take the cases. This way, if things get hairy, you can go cloaked, and Kyla and I can solve the problem. Just remember that the cases won't cloak with you. Now let's move out."

The Slayers nodded. They all wore their Vortec armor and helmets. They all remained in a visible state to properly navigate among each other. Syxx put his paw up in the dark hall. Every one of the Slayers froze. They pressed their backs into the corner. Syxx peaked around the corner. He could hear the approaching footsteps. He slowly put the long pistol into its holster and drew the black blade from his chest. Syxx cared not who it was. He waited for the right moment, and took a deep breath. The black and silver plated Slayer emerged from cover. He doubled behind the target, putting the glove over his mouth and putting a clean gash through his throat. There was no sound made.

Syxx let the limp body fall. "Move."

The Slayers obeyed. They all moved out, and quickly exited the same way they had come in. Kyla took point as they ran out the back door. She took knee on the ground and searched the dark fields with infrared rays to ensure no contact. Syxx was now at the rear. He put away the bloody blade, placing it on his left shoulder plate, and drew the pistol.

"Now. Let's get to the hangers. I don't know how much time we will have before they find out that we are missing, or they find the guard. Kyla, you're on point. I'll take the rear."

"Yes Sir."

The Slayers made their way across the field. The armor improved their speed. Syxx made sure to keep a safe distance back and that they all kept a surmountable distance between them. There was a problem up ahead though. The tarmac never shut down. Not even at night. Syxx could see them in the distance, and they were growing closer every second that they moved.

"How are we going to get by the tarmac? We could all go cloak… but… the cases aren't going to go invisible with us. And the brightness lights might burn out the infrared lenses on the helmet." Cobalt said.

"We have to cross the runway to get to the hangers too." Kyla slowed down the pace as the neared the end of the safe zones of the lights. She pointed the sniper in the air. "No shortage of activity either. Busy night."

Kyla and the rest of the Slayers all took knee at the end of the safe zone. Syxx thought back to his training. He thought back to all he had learned. "We need a _distraction_."

The Slayers instinctively looked at Pyro. The raccoon continued to look onto the field before he realized that they were all looking at him. "Oh… oh, you guys are as-es."

Syxx smiled. "Pyro. Operation Bullet Magnet." He took both of the cases that the raccoon withheld, holstering his own weapon.

Kyla giggled. "Just enough to get everyone to look the other way, _please._"

"Yeah." Pyro disappeared into the air. "You guys are going to be kissing my tail for this one, big time."

"Go!" Syxx hissed.

"What's our signal?" Cobalt asked.

Even though they couldn't see it, Pyro shrugged before running off. "I don't know. You'll know it when you see it."

They all waited. They three Slayers talked among each other waiting for the moment to happen, and Pyro worked fast as he was taught. The Slayers squinted as from the runway, emerged a fireball of white and blue flame. A box of fuel cells must have exploded. Exploaded… Pyro.

"That's the signal!!! Move!" Syxx barked.

Kyla ran out in front. She brought the rifle to her shoulder as the other two Slayers kept right behind her, both carrying the accessory kits of the Mapaw. They entered the lights of the tarmac, and the alarms went off.

"Let's get to those F1s!" Syxx yelled.

"They haven't seen us yet!" Kyla watched the remaining fires burn at the fuel depot. They neared the large hanger where all the Hook Echoes were kept. Kyla put her paw on the door. The digital recognition system denied them access. "It's locked! We're going to need to find a way around."

Syxx growled. He set down the silver cases. He took a few steps backwards, and bolted toward the doors. Both his boots made contact with the door. The hinges and control panel sparked. The steel door bent at the center and gave way into the dark hanger. The door sparked yet again as it slid across the floor with the black fox on top of it. Syxx sighed and looked up, now standing on the flat grounded door. Cobalt tossed in his silver cases, and Kyla tossed the other two in the door.

The red vixen almost laughed. "Or, we could just do that."

"Gear up Slayers. Pyro, get the hanger doors." Syxx opened his Hook Echo and threw the silver case under the seat. "Nice work Pyro. Nothing short of what I would have expected from you."

A silver armored Raccoon appeared. "Ha ha!!! Not bad huh!?!" The raccoon hit the switch. The massive silver doors parted from the center outward.

Syxx jumped into the F1. This was it. This was their moment to escape from Project Slayer. Syxx went to start the engines, they howled to life. He watched the fuel gauge rise. But there was a yet another problem. The tanks were not full. Though this new engine system was efficient, it wouldn't be enough to get him to where ever it was that he was going.

Kyla jumped into her ship. "Syxx, I've got a problem. I'm not going to have enough fuel."

"Me neither Syxx." Cobalt agreed. "I'm going to have to refuel."

Syxx growled. "We're going to have to fill up. Pyro! Get the fuel cells in the back of the hanger! Cobalt, Kyla covering fire. Don't let anyone in or even near the hanger. Don't fire unless fired upon!"

Kyla jumped out of the ship. She ran to the edge of the hanger door, and took knee. She pressed the edge of the long rifle to the edge of the wall, stabilizing herself even further. The scope focused in on the targets. Many were fighting the fire, but something else was happening, there were troops, and not just that, there were armored vehicles coming this way too.

Kyla's heart leapt. "Syxx, there are two unarmed Gillis ACPs coming this way. Orders?"

Syxx took a place on the other side of the large open hanger doors, right beside Cobalt. "Hold your fire. Pyro?"

The raccoon pulled in a large cart. He opened a box on the cart that contained multiple glowing blue orbs. He placed one in the fuel tank of one of the Hook Echoes. "Just started on the first one."

"Hurry up."

Kyla put her finger into the trigger guard. "Twenty so, infantry riflemen. They are on their way. Four hundred meters and closing."

"Hold your fire."

Kyla held the pistol grip of the weapon tighter. They knew that they were here. Many of the troops were beginning to run. "Syxx…"

"Don't get trigger happy Kyla." Syxx smiled. He pulled back to action of the weapon.

Kyla squinted. She rolled her back around the corner. Tracers of green plasma bolted by her, illuminating the hanger as they splashed the surface of ships inside. The vixen rolled her shoulder back around the corner. It took her less then a second to line up a shot and pull in the trigger. She watched the cylindrical shaped bolt cut through the air and slam into the chest of the hound. His boots lifted from the tarmac and the next thing to hit was his tail. Kyla fired the weapon four more times quickly. The Mapaw sizzled as the flaps on the side swung open cooling the weapon. "Yeow!!"

Syxx rolled out from the other corner. He fired the pistol with the attached barrel. It neither made a sound or a flash as the gun fired. "Pyro!"

"Almost done! Just one more!"

"Kyla! Cobalt! Fall back! I'll cover!"

Cobalt tossed Syxx his pistol. Kyla and Cobalt fell back. Syxx stood at the corner of the opened door. He raised both paws and twiddled his fingers in and out on the dual triggers. An infantryman came around the side of the building but was cut down by an array of the small powerful rounds of the pistols. Bolts of steel plasma rounds sliced away at his pelt even after his life was ended. Syxx fired the weapons each ten more times before they over heated. The black armored fox slowly began to back off.

"That's it! Syxx! We're good to go!" Pyro pushed the cart aside.

Syxx knew better then to turn his back. But he now heard something much more powerful coming this way. He heard the metallic sounds of tracks. A blue and white vehicle appeared in the front of the hanger. "Landmaster!" Syxx barked.

He listened to the vehicle howl, and watched the huge cannon turn toward him. He fluttered his fingers over the pistols triggers once more, unleashing a quick and accurate burst of rounds. His shots sparked hopelessly across the armoring of the Landmaster. The cannon now aimed right at him.

He closed his eyes when he heard the explosion. It was hot. He felt it through the armor as the searing shockwave spliced the air around him. The black fox's ears rang. He opened his eyes. Everything was in black and white, and he could faintly see the ceiling of the hanger in the fluttering of the flames around him. The Vortec warned him of his status. A shadowy figure stood above him. He heard the figure click a weapon, and point it at his face. All Syxx could do was slowly put his paws up between his head and the muzzle of the weapon that was pointing down at him.

A quick silver blot of light passed through the figure pointing the weapon at him. The dark figure had the weapon fall from its paws, as it clutched its stomach. Syxx saw droplets of blood appear on the visor of the Vortec. The figure still stood until it was knocked over by another. This one didn't point a weapon at him, and in another moment one more appeared. They helped him to his feet. For the first time, since the disaster Syxx saw the Landmaster in flames and the smoking weapons of an F1. Above him was another silver helmet and the voice of a female.

"Come on! Let's go!"

Syxx got up from his feet. He grabbed the Mapaw and raised the gun to find that there was no one around to shoot.

"Syxx!" He received a pat on the back. "You're ok! Get into your F1!"

Syxx nodded. He jumped onto the wing of the fighter, and then into the ship itself. He removed the helmet and placed it on a panel. The canopy folded shut. He loved how quiet the inside of the Hook Echo was. Syxx started hitting switches and buttons. The engines began to whine. He watched as a hound took knee outside the hanger. He unloaded a whole battery of the M27 into the Hook Echo, but the shots splashed off harmlessly.

"Ensure radar transmitters are disengaged. If you see any Cornerian Fighters feel free to take them down. Keep an eye on your radar, and make sure there are no SAMs after you." Syxx pulled back on the controls. He carefully navigated out the doors followed by the other three ships.

"Little resistance Sir." Said Cobalt. He flew ahead of the others. "Mostly small arms; nothing to be worried about."

Pyro coughed into the microphone. "Yeah, so you're welcome there Syxx. No need for thanks."

Syxx closed his eyes smiling. "Alright, I won't thank you then. But it's a good thing that blowing stuff up is your specialty."

"So, what now Syxx?" Kyla asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Where do we go from here?"

Syxx remained silent for a minuet. He was about to say something when Pyro cut him off. "You didn't think this through did you?"

"Just shut up for a second. Hmm… I know a place were we could go. A place with food, water, and shelter. The military has put a safeguard on this planet. No one is even allowed on it."

"Where's this?"

Syxx opened his eyes. He charged the engines of the ship. "Slayers. To Planet Sauria."


	34. Lose Your Memories

Authors Note:  
Sorry for the long awaited and in between updates. This time of year is really hectic for me. I love it though. Been riding with TEAM THUNDERSTRUCK in Revelstoke for the past week and doing so sled filming. I can't believe I made time for this.

Keep it Open,  
SyxxFox

* * *

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXIV**

**Lose Your Memories

* * *

  
**

"_Say to me I'm not alone here,  
It always feels like this is the last time,  
That I will stop to think about you,_

_A void was filled with consequences,  
But we were so wrapped up in the moment,  
Was there even a second to breathe?_

_I can't set this free,  
You're locked inside of me,  
I need to take control and let you go,"_

**DAMSEL FLY **_**– "Let You Go"

* * *

  
**_

The water poured down, as it always had. They sky never changed, it was always wet a dreary place, ever since he had first visited the floating temple. Syxx looked up, just in time in catch a silvery blue bolt of lightning pass through the dark casted beyond. He closed his eyes at the moment the tremendous rumbling of thunder surrounded him. He opened his mouth slightly, catching one of the many fresh and crisp droplets of water that bombarded the structure. He licked his lips, looked back down at the floors of the building. They were extremely weathered and old with fungi's and other planets growing between the cracks the trailed around the once smooth floor. This was it. This was Krazoa Palace. It looked different from when He was here last. Many of the structures around the top centerpiece have caved in, over the years, and wild plants grew in the select spots of the old cracked roof.

And yet, Syxx found himself in the same place he was last time. He found himself staring at the old centerpiece of the temple, after coming up the ramp to be at the very top of the palace. Something was calling him; something was drawing him back here. He stared at the empty place where he had seen Krystal many years before. Little remained of her chamber; perhaps a few pieces of rings that sat both above and below the crystal. Syxx even saw some shards of the crystalline chamber itself.

The lightning sparked blue. Syxx saw it in front of his eyes. He saw her. He saw her in the crystal. It didn't make him remorseful, and it didn't make him sad, it made him angry. Syxx yelled, swinging a punch at the pillar right beside him. His Vortec ignited with lightning as a brick from the pillar was turned into dust. The pillar then proceeded to tilt, until it toppled and shattered right at Syxx's feet.

The black fox growled once more before turning his back to the centerpiece. "Let's get out of here. This place brings back bad memories."

Pyro snuffed. "Yeah, so that seems like a perfectly reasonable reaction… striking down a whole stone column."

Syxx stepped past the other Slayers, heading down the ramp and giving Pyro a hard shoulder as he passed by.

Cobalt watched Syxx push by. "What's with him?"

Pyro shook his head uselessly throwing off some water. "Who cares he said we can go. Ugh! I hate the rain!"

Kyla walked around the roof of the palace. She had taken off the Vortec, changing into something more comfortable. The Marine Corps pants and tunic, which were already both soaked but the rain beaded on her fur beautifully instead of soaking it altogether. "It's beautiful. It's so ancient. What did you say this place was called?"

Syxx took a seat on the wing of his Hook Echo. "They call it Krazoa Palace."

Kyla repeated it as if in awe. "Krazoa Palace…"

She stepped up to an odd statue on the wall. It looked like a god, with a long beard. In front of the wall in which it was placed was glowing circular pad, emitting a powerful white light. But she turned her attention back up to the statue of the head. It was surrounded in what looked to her like water. She reached out the tip of her claw pointing it toward the water around the head.

"Ah-ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you." Syxx put his back on the fuselage of the F1, lying over the wings.

"Why? What it is?"

"It's a Krazoa Spirit."

"A spirit?"

"Its one of the two elements that keeps this planet from falling apart."

"What rips it apart?"

Syxx laughed. "Magic."

"Oh stop it."

"The magical force in the center of this planet is so great that the planet is continually being ripped apart. To stop this, four Spell Stones where placed where placed on this planet in two temples. Two at the ocean and two at the volcano." Syxx closed his eyes, and listened to the rain patter on himself and his ship. "It's the same force that keeps this palace afloat in the sky. It's all magic."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're kidding."

"I didn't believe it either." He shook his head, keeping his eyes closed. "Not when I was here last time."

"But, how do you-" Kyla stopped herself when Syxx shot open a single eye and glared at her. The vixen looked back toward the statue, and withdrew her fingers into a fist, moving away from the statue. "Right then…"

_**

* * *

X

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**_

She questioned why she kept them by her side. Did she like to stop to remember her past? Did she like to remember her past at all? No. She hated it all. She hated everything all about it. And yet, she found herself once again, staring down at the small picture of her and Fox. It hurt. It all hurt. She hated him. She hated… Syxx… but she loved Fox. It all confused her, but it didn't mater. She would never have to deal with him again.

She wanted to let go. She remembered how Fox made her feel loved… how she wasn't alone. She couldn't set Fox free from her heart. He was locked inside of her. She had to take control and let him go… but she couldn't. No matter how hard she had tried, he kept coming back to her.

She sat down, with her back against a tree and cradled her head in both paws. The little blue fox was stuck in a mental war with herself. She didn't know what to do. If time was the healer of all wounds… she wondered how much longer it would be. She wrapped her blue tail around her body, whimpering… and knowing that her Fox was still alive. And it was worse then him being dead. He was worse then dead. She had refused to believe that Fox had passed on. Perhaps he was alive; alive somewhere in that… that monster. But she couldn't be for certain.

And though she couldn't feel it yet… he was coming. Not Fox. Fox wasn't coming. Syxx was coming.

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

Syxx hit the thrusters. The Hook Echo produced a defining sonic boom as it accelerated. The Echo ran over the tips of the tall trees.

"Syxx? Where are we going!?!"

"I'm looking for a place. Yeah! Here it is." Syxx pulled his ship up, circling it around the bay. "Guys. Welcome to Cape Claw."

"Wow." Kyla paused. "It's beautiful Syxx."

Syxx pulled the silver ship around. It hovered around in the center of the bay. He watched some of the local dinosaurs flee. He smiled watching a Lightfoot run up the docks and away swim away into the water. He didn't care much for the Lightfoot tribe. Syxx looked toward the entrance to the Ocean Force Point Temple. It was a large structure that overlooked the bay. Embedded into the structure was a large carving of the head of a Krazoa. He set his Hook Echo down on the top of the structure. The other three ships followed shortly.

Syxx hopped out of the ship. Syxx held the Mapaw rifle in one paw, leaning the length back over his shoulder. He let the rifle fall from his shoulder, down into his other paw, letting the few moving buckles on the outside of the weapon clatter.

The other Slayers stepped up beside him. The vulpine grinned out of the corner of his mouth. "What da'ya think?"

Kyla grinned. "I love it."

Syxx laughed. "And it's all ours. The whole planet."

Pyro's eyes lit up. He looked over the miles of ocean. He thought about all the land there was on this planet. He buzzed with excitement. "I am going exploring!!!" He turned around and began to run.

Cobalt took off after him. "Wait! I'm coming!"

Syxx smiled, looking over his shoulder and watching the run off. He turned back around, looking over the bay. He turned his gaze down for a moment, lightly kicking a stone off the edge. He watched it tumble through the air, before it hit the decks below, splitting into two and bouncing into the crystalline water causing it to ripple.

"Hey. I know this has got to be hard for you." Kyla moved closer to him.

"No matter how hard I try to forget my past. It always comes back." Syxx put down the rifle and sat beside it, hanging his boots off the edge of the structure. It was warm and he had decided to take off the Vortec, now in his light military attire. "Probably should have told Pyro or Cobalt that are some hostile tribes in the area."

Kyla took a seat beside him putting a paw over his. "Hmm… much more fun that he figures it out himself… and much more romantic then the top of the barracks, don't you think?"

"Huh? Oh. Sure."

"I'm… really sorry Syxx. For all that went on here."

"Yeah, well… it's not your fault. Don't worry about it."

"Syxx, if you don't mind me asking; and don't answer if you don't want to but where or I guess how did you-"

Syxx stared out blankly into the darkening skies. He spoke with no emotion. "It was on Krazoa Palace; when I returned a Krazoa Spirit. She wasn't from the Lylat System. She was foreign and she couldn't speak our language. But she was a fast learner. A really fast learner. She adopted the language within a few hours or being aboard my ship."

"Syxx I-"

"She had never been around technology such as our own. It was all so strange and new to her." Syxx cracked a shallow smile. "It was cute really…"

**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**

"…Are you sure about this Fox? I would want to be intrusive."

"Not at all." The red vulpine smiled timidly, and nervously. "You go ahead and take my room. I'll stay out here in the longue. Go ahead and take a shower if you want to as well. You'll find fresh towels hanging up in the bathroom. I have some clothes if you'd rather change into something more comfortable as well."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather have me out here? After all, it is your ship."

"It's the least that I can do for you Krystal. I'm really sorry about what happened to your family."

She sighed. "It's not your fault."

"And… I know that you have nowhere to go. That's what I kinda' wanted to ask you something."

She could feel her cheeks heat. The little vixen hadn't been around any males in a very long time. She had been lucky enough to have been rescued by one, and a very handsome one at that. "Yes Fox? What is it?"

"I've… well, I've give this some thought and-"

"You're wondering if I would like to join the team." Krystal plucked the thought from his mind.

"Uhh, well… yeah I am." The fox put out his paw and unrolled it from the knuckle. Inside was a small pin of a shining red quadruped with wings. The Starfox insignia; one of the most prestigious emblems in the entire Lylat System.

The vixen picked it up, holding the pin between two paws, she smiled. "This is so very generous of you Mister McCloud." She held it, turning it, watching the light reflect off the gleaming red, before placing it back in the vulpine's open paw. "But, I cannot accept this."

Fox looked down at his paw. Though he hadn't known the vixen for very long, he felt a little crushed. She was beautiful… very beautiful. "Why not?"

She closed her eyes speaking softly. "You've already done so much for me. I can't repay you for all you've done Mister McCloud."

"Nor do you need to. Here you'll be accepted, and a member of my team."

"Fox… I can't fly ships. Not like you. I don't see how I can be any help. I would just drag down the team. Besides, I don't think anyone else would want me here."

"Krystal…"

She turned her head away, pushing his paw back into his chest. "I'm sorry Fox. But my answer stands." Fox thought he saw a tear at her eye. She slowly backed off, heading toward the door. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take a moment to take all this in."

"Yeah, sure. Just… Krystal?"

She stopped at the automatic door, her back still to the fox. She awaited what he had to say.

Fox held the pin tighter. "Just don't be so quick to refuse. It's still two days to Corneria. Take all the time you need. And if you still don't want to become a member of Starfox, then… I guess I have no choice." He tried to smile.

"Thank you so much for the offer Fox, but please; just take me to Corneria. From there I will be out of your hair." With that, she left the room. The tapping sounds of her sandals faded as she walked down the hall.

The Fox stood for a moment, before collapsing on the sofa and sighing. He tossed the emblem once in his paw. Fox sighed, swallowing hard. "Yeah… right."

**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**

"… From that point on, she was a member of Starfox. Of _my_ team." Syxx growled. "Ever since the day… the mistake… You have no idea how hard it is to…" the black fox trailed off closing his eyes, pausing for a moment to shoot his eyes open, and to whisper fiercely through a clamped jaw. "Lose your memories."

"But… what mistake?"

Syxx snorted. Kyla could tell that he was upset. He held the weapon, up in one shoulder and both paws, and fired it wildly into the air. The rifle chattered and banged away, and before long, it over heated. Syxx threw it over his shoulder in a fit of rage. He grinded hit teeth together holding his head down with both paws.

Kyla wrapped her arm around him, knowing that she had pushed him too far. She moved her muzzle in as close as she could to him, breathing heavily into his neck and whispering calmly into his ear. "I'm so sorry Syxx. I'm so sorry."

**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**

Krystal froze. She listened. The echoing of taps and rattles. Gunfire? That couldn't be. This planet didn't posses that type of technology. She grabbed her staff from leaning against a tree. She listened again. But whatever it was had passed. All she could hear now was the crackling of her small camp fire. Whatever it was had been distant. But it sounded almost as if it came from the direction of Cape Claw.

She had heard something earlier as well. It was a loud and distant _bang_ from within the sky, followed by three more, closely behind.

Her blue ears twitched but came up with nothing. She felt something though, with her sixth sense. It was a feeling of distress. Possibly form the wildlife in the vicinity of what she thought was gun fire. As it had most of the time, Krystal's curiosity had gotten the best of her. She wanted to know what made that sound. It wasn't right. Something was going on.


	35. Holiday

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXV**

**Holiday

* * *

  
**

"_Nothing to lose,  
Nothing to gain,  
Nothing surrounds me,  
Nothing stays the same,_

_I fought so long,  
To keep from going under,  
But why hang on?  
Nothing matters at all,  
Nothing at all,_

_I try to hide it,  
To avoid the shock,  
But I get pulled inside it,  
My nothing box,"_

_**HYPNOGAJA – "Nothing Box"

* * *

  
**_

As soon as Krystal entered the short, maze that was ahead, she sensed two figures headed in her direction. Their thought patterns were different, but she recognized the aura coming off the body armor they were wearing. She immediately realized it was similar to the Slayer armor Fox and that girl who rescued him wore. She could feel its raw power.

"It couldn't be." she mumbled to herself.

The blue vixen quickly went near the ladder that led to the underground passage to Cape Claw. Her waiting had soon paid off when she saw the two figures a few yards away. She took extreme care to be inconspicuous, but get a good view of the Slayers at the same time. Judging by her last encounter with a Slayer, they were heavy duty warriors and sometimes… they just knew.

"So." One of them paused. "What the f-ck do you think we're going to find in a _Lightfoot Village_?" A young raccoon yawned as he past an old sign. He took off his helmet and carried it under his arm.

"I'm not sure, Pyro." said the other. "But if what Syxx said about this planet is true, then we've got to keep our guard up. Who knows what we're going to find here. Let's just not let it get us by surprise."

Krystal heard the words that the soldiers had spoken and as soon as she heard those very words, she came to a frustrating realization that Fox was here… Syxx was here. There was no mistaking it. She just _had_ to make sure. She wanted to see him for herself. She retraced her steps back towards Lightfoot Village and hid near the exit, that way when she sensed Pyro and Cobalt were at a far enough distance she could make her way to Cape Claw and find Syxx and try to make him come back to the _real_ Fox McCloud she knew and loved. She knew many things about him, and if there was one thing Fox would never let happen to her it's that he would never let her die. She knew _that_ part of Fox still remained, and she was intent on seeing him again, even if it meant being on the verge of death in front of his own eyes.

The thought of finding that female was more than enough to get her ready for a rematch, but this time, she was prepared, with her fully-powered mere indestructible staff, and her hands-on experience figuring out the Mapaw, Krystal knew that if that girl tried to get the upper-hand by using any of her weapons tech, all she had to do was crouch on the ground and let her staff's force-field do its job. No matter which direction she was being attacked from, the field wouldn't break.

* * *

_**X**_**

* * *

  
**

Kyla loved the beauty of Sauria. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before; Syxx thought that the first time that he had set foot on the planet as well, but now the majesty of the planet was drowned out by the tortureous memories. The black fox had left Kyla and went off on his own. He sat on the edge of a dock of the bay, tossing stones across the crystalline waters of Cape Claw. Enduring the thoughts he never imagined undergoing again.

"Syxx." Kyla's boots tapped on the old wooden dock as she neared the black fox.

Syxx looked over his shoulder and returned to his cross-legged position shutting his eyes. "You like it?" He tossed another stone, opening his eyes. He watched it break the water as it skipped. His advanced senses watched it bounce. He could calculate each and every single skip, how far they were apart and how much farther it would go every step. He marveled at his strength. Though he didn't have the Vortec on, he was stronger then he ever had been as Fox, easily sending the flat stone twice as far as he could have two years ago. With the power of the Vortec armoring, he could easily double the stones velocity and distance.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow.

Syxx drew back a paw and thrashed it forward. He watched the stone hop across the bay. "Nothing to lose… nothing to gain. Welcome to Suaria. Welcome to my nothing box."

"Hmm, that was a warm reception. I'm just… I'm trying to say, if were going to be here, we might as well try to have some fun. Come on! Let's go find something to do. We're on holiday! Let's go find Cobalt and Pyro! They couldn't have made it too far."

"Yeah. They have been gone awhile." Syxx thought about the Lightfoot tribe in the area. A Slayer wouldn't put up with them. Surely if they attempted to capture them in the forest, even if the Lightfoots came down from above as they had on him, Cobalt or Pyro would surely kill any of them that made them angry. Syxx thought about Tricky... he was the Care Taker of the entire planet. Surely he would hear of this disturbance sooner or later. He would have to come face to face with him, and wonder what to do. His instincts told him to survive… and to kill.

"Syxx? Hello!?! Are you feeling ok?"

The black vulpine shook his head. "Yeah. I'm fine." He uncrossed his legs and made his way up to his feet. When making his way to his feet, something triggered his instincts. He looked to the cliffs above the bay, he could feel something. A familiar sense counseled him. He focused his eyes onto a single point above the cliffs. He felt the strange feeling of being watched. He growled, flattening his ears, and baring his teeth, while bolting his muzzle.

"I'm sorry about all of this Syxx… Syxx?"

"It's all gonna' work out for me." He spoke through a wired jaw. "Don't worry." He focused his eyes onto a soul portion of cliffs, and immediately knowing… he cleared his mind.

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

"God damn it's cold here!" Cobalt adjusted the heat settings of his Vortec. "Why are we up here?"

"Come on dude! There's gotta' be something cool up here!"

"What facts have you based this on? Why do think there's something up here?"

Pyro stumbled into a cave near the top of a mountain. Cobalt followed right behind. The raccoon opened his helmet. "Ahh, come on! Only minus fifteen! That's nothing!"

"Yeah, but the snow is knee deep!"

Pyro laughed. "Nah. It's deeper then that. That's just the top layer. I bet you... three meters to the rock. The base has got to be something serious up here. Probably melts only once a year… if that.

The mountains of the planet were beautiful. The Slayer pair had managed to come across a thermocline where temperatures changed wildly from tropical to a blistering cold and deep powdery snow. There was a light breeze near the top of the mountain on a sunny day. Thin clouds dashed across the blue sky.

Pyro looked back into the cave. He squinted, looking back farther. "Hello, hello. What have we here?" Pyro walked to the back of the cave. He saw five small vehicles of some kind. He walked closer to them. They were covered in a film of frost and light snow. The raccoon could make out a seat and a set of handle bars. He took his glove and rubbed the front of the vehicle. The ice scraped off. He whispered the words he saw. "_Rotax_." The raccoon came to his feat once again. He went around to the back of the vehicle. Two jet turbines emerged out the back, from under the seat.

Cobalt looked at anther one of the machines. "Think they still work?"

The raccoon grinned, jumping onto the sled. He stood over the seat with both boots on either of the guards on both sides. "Only one way to find out!"

_**

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X

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**_

Krystal looked out over the bay. She hid at the top of the cliffs, peaking out over Cape Claw. At first glance, everything seamed in order… pure waters, setting sun. And yet there was a new spectacle on display, and she could sense intelligent thought patterns. Over the top of the entrance to the Ocean Force Point Temple, were four silvery figures on display. She had only seen one of these ships a single time, when she had nearly engaged in a dog fight with one, tearing Fox off the wing.

She could vaguely remember… a female… a female fox. It made her jealous. Even though she knew that she too had once made him jealous… with Panther… with Starwolf. It ate her alive inside knowing that Fox could have very well found another. She wanted to be that other… she was that other.

The blue vixen looked over the cliffs, and down onto the docks. The thought waves grew stronger. She saw a figure… a black figure. She could read its thoughts. It's thoughts of anger, and hurt. She could see him, and she could feel him. Within reach, right there, was Fox McCloud, and for some reason it didn't surprise her.

She watched him longer in wonder, frustration. "_What is he doing here? Is he after me? No… it's not in his mind. That can't be it._"

Krystal did believe in destiny. The chances of them meeting aboard the Final Haste were near zero… but he came… and now he came again. Fate had brought them together once again as it had before. She believed it more and more every time that it happened. She was confused… she didn't want this Syxx… she wanted Fox.

More complications though… she feared allowing Syxx to see her. Maybe he would think that she was following him. She thought back to her dreams. She feared this… Syxx, perhaps even to death. If there were even a sliver of Fox still alive within this monster, this ruthless killer… then perhaps her life would be spared. But she knew she didn't have much time. If he found her… surely, he would not grant her life… not again.

She still felt within his debt. He had saved her from this planet once before. Though of course he had betrayed her… she had also betrayed him. Maybe she could release her debt to him… maybe… she could change him back.

Krystal continued to watch him, he stood up. Her heart pounded in her chest, as almost instinctively, he came to his feet and stared in her direction. She froze in fear as hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She folded her paws into her hands and feet, and whispered to herself. "_Come on… look away. I'm not here._" In the next moment, he did and she sighed in relief. She drove her sixth sense through his mind. She found nothing relative to her. He didn't find her. She was still safe…

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

"I don't understand Syxx. Why is it so cold already? It was so warm just a moment ago." Kyla asked the fox.

"Remember what I said about magic?"

"When we were on the Palace? I do."

"Well, that's all I can explain." Syxx looked up to the top of a hill. "There's one." He paused. "Hey! Cobalt!"

The silver furred feline looked down the shallow slope at the Slayer pair. He motioned his paws. "Come on! Come on!" He grinned laughing. "Hurry up!"

Kyla and Syxx ran to the top of the hill. Syxx looked out over the hundreds of kilometers of mountains. He saw a blur traveling across the pure white. "Is that... Pyro?"

They began to hear a sharp hiss. The Rotax sped toward them at the top of the low, but steep hill. The sled ran on the back half, while the nose pointed slightly into the air. The raccoon was going fast, he was going really fast. A plume of powder flew behind the twin turbine engines as they vaporized half of the trailing snow. He came up the hill, and in an explosion of snow. Pyro flew through the air. He remained on the Rotax until he bailed off of it. When he fell off, the raccoon was over four meters in the air.

All of the warriors could hear Pyro shout as he flew through the air. "Agh! Agghh!!!"

The Slayer toumbled through the air and landed face first in the snow. He quickly jumped to his feat, running after the run away vehicle as it coasted down the other side of the hill that he had just cleared... for the most part. The raccoon looked over his shoulder, and laughed so loud Cobalt could hear it through the Vortec helmet. Then, Cobalt started to chuckle. Syxx and Kyla both sat in the snow, off to the side. Soon, Cobalt could here the hissing of the Rotax as it made its way back toward him. But over the hum of the machine, he could hear Pyro's unmistakable and strident laugh. Pyro slid up to Cobalt and the other Rotax. He brought the hissing engine to a stop, slamming his limp paw down on the kill switch.

The raccoon laughed hysterically. "AHA!! HAHA!!!" He jumped off the sled. "Was that good action Cobalt buddy!?!"

The feline took a seat on his Rotax. He laughed. "Ohhh, God... oh!!! Hahaha."

Pyro through his paws to his neck. "HAHA!!! I can't even get my helmet off!!! Look at all the snow that packed up in my face." He pulled as hard as he could. "Agggghhh!!!" He pulled off the helmet and looked inside. He let the helmet fall into the snow.

Cobalt fell over laughing. He could barely speak. "Aha!!! Are you trying out for slednecks on your Rotax!?!"

Pyro put his paws on both knees and looked up him. "HAHA!!! You said; _Pin it! Get a good run!_ Haha..." He paused, cringing his muzzle for a moment and nearly whispering. "Ugh... I think I hurt a nut."

"Wha- what!?!" Cobalt grinned.

"No, but really though I think I hurt a nut."

"Haha!" Cobalt bursted.

"Oh! I was up there so high man!" He pointed into the air. "I was like; _what the h-ll am I doing up hear man!?!_ Haha!!! See you later sled, and good luck!"

"What's going on, you've got a little bit of a bloody nose there? What's that from?"

"Oh! My face just went… Boom! Right into the front of my helmet." Pyro wiped his nose.

"Aha! Hey Pyro! I think you might wanna' step that one off. That might be a new record for you."

"Yeah! Haha! The funky chicken eh? I'm not very graceful!" Pyro stepped away to look at his tracks. "Yeah, you know... a good jumper probably would have hit the d_own_ part!"

"Hey you don't think you could have stuck that landing a little better?"

"Ah, no way! It looked way better with the dismount!" Pyro looked over. "Hey Syxx!!!"

The black vulpine stared at him. He kept a straight face, trying to ignore Kyla nuzzling her muzzle against his chest and neck and whine slightly and she nuzzled into him. Syxx closed his eyes. "That was quite the show."

"Yup!" The raccoon laughed. "I try not to disappoint. These things are amazing!"

Syxx fell backwards into the snow. He thought back to his vaguely revealed past. He remembered riding those machines. They were fast, and they were fun. The Rotax pretty much had _Pyro _written all over it. The raccoon already had the seat of the sled off and was tinkering with the mechanics. One thing that the Slayer had excelled in was engineering; he was pretty good at taking apart things and putting them back together. The raccoon had a special talent for that and fixing things.

Pyro cocked his head, already elbow deep into the hood. "You know… the hood restricts a lot of air flow. I bet, this comes off, the turbines would output some serious horses!"

Pyro took the hood off the hinges. He put the Slayer helmet back over his head. He laughed right after the engine flared up. He depressed the throttle the engine howled. He jumped onto the Rotax, he pressed down on the throttle and the machine took off, he turned quickly to the left, narrowly avoiding a tree, his shoulder drug through the snow, as he turned the handle bars the opposite direction he went, counter-steering the sled.

The raccoon hit the throttle even further. The hissing disappeared as the raccoon went over a hill. It was all quiet for a moment. In the next few seconds, Syxx heard the engine rev up and down. He watched a huge steep hill in the distance. Snow ran up the middle of two jagged rocky peaks. The sound of the Rotax grew until it thundered and screamed in the distance. Pyro began his accent up the steep snowy hill. Syxx could tell he was nearly vertical, but the sled kept climbing.

Cobalt grinned out of the side of his muzzle. "No way."

Kyla grinned. "He's not going to make it."

"He's not making it." Syxx said in awe.

They were right too. The sled began to slow down as it neared the summit. Pyro tried to turn out of it, but before he could, the front end of the machine reared upward, and it began to come over top of the Slayer. The hill was so steep the sled passed right over top of him in a cloud of snow. The Rotax began to bounce before it tumbled down the hill, with Pyro's body, soon following.

Cobalt jumped to his feet and onto his sled. "I'll catch you guys later."

"Yeah, see ya'."

Cobalt counter steered the Rotax, making his way to the base of the hill. He made it there just in time to see Pyro running down the remainder of the hill trying to stop his slowly rolling sled. It was no longer running, Pyro grabbed the rear handle, straitening out the sled with his own weight, and taking a step into a space of bottomless snow, and throwing himself head over heals in snow while the sled coasted down the hill and came to a stop.

Cobalt cut out the engine and came to a halt. "Do you ever stop!?!"

Pyro wiped the snow off his silver visor. "There's some horse power for ya'!!!"

"So was it a lack or HP or a lack of talent?"

"Well, what happened was; there was too much power and the sled-"

"So it was a lack of talent."


	36. Scorned

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXVI**

**Scorned

* * *

  
**

"_Well I preyed for better weather,  
Now I'm a thousand miles away,  
Thought that It'd be different here,  
But some things just don't change,_

_See the way it used to be,  
The way I used to care,  
These are scares are still upon my back,  
From the cross I used to bare,_

_And I'll keep my head above the water,  
Until I'll weigh down from anywhere I am,  
And I hope I never touch the bottom,  
I've come to far to start this way again."_

**TESTING TOMORROW**_** – "Water"

* * *

  
**_

"Come on Fox. Just for fun ok?"

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want… to hurt you."

"Oh, don't you worry. You're not going to hurt me."

Two foxes jumped into the boxing ring. Krystal and Fox had just recently met. Krystal had become an accepted member of Starfox already. But they still knew very little about each other. And the curious vixen was intent on learning all she could about this new figure, Fox McCloud. Krystal wanted to prove herself to the male. She didn't want to be portrayed as the _damsel in distress _as she was found on Sauria. She was useful, and she wanted to show that to Fox. She wanted to prove herself.

Fox put a paw on the back of his head. "You really want to do this"

"What's wrong Fox?" Krystal giggled cutely. "Afraid of a girl?"

"You don't have to prove anything you know. You're already a member of Starfox."

She hesitated and lied. "I know. I just want us to have some fun. What do you say? The first one to get the others shoulders pinned? Does that sound fair to you?"

"Uhh… I guess."

"Ok. I want you to run at me full speed. Try to take me down. Give me everything you've got Fox. Come on!"

Fox took a step back. "Are you sure about this?"

"Don't worry about anything. I told you, you're not going to hurt me."

Fox took another step back. The vulpine hesitated. He took one more step back before throwing himself forward toward the female. He through his leg through the air and wasn't sure what happened after that. The last thing he saw was a fury of red and blue, and himself staring at the ceiling lights. A blue furred vixen stood above him, with a smirk of triumph upon her face. He tail wagging back and forth.

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

The night had always been his favorite. Syxx felt safe and concealed. Many feared being in the dark, but Syxx had no problem with it. In fact, he preferred it. He knew that the most terrifying thing in the woods at night was himself. Syxx knew something though. He wore nothing but the thin Marine Corps training gear. The black knife remained dull in the lack luster night. He knew what to look for and his anger fueled his watchful eyes in the night. He had made a habit of traveling through the night with the blade in his paw. His excelled senses made him invulnerable to anything in the night, using what little luminance that the stars gave off to guide him through the woods.

The black fox grunted as he jumped through the air. His strong legs propelled him upwards. He set foot on a low branch, using the bounce of the limb to slingshot himself higher into the air. Syxx landed in a tree and froze, now over three times his height above the ground. He set his blade against the wood and balanced himself perfectly on the thick limb of the tree. He didn't move. His black ears twitched as they listened attentively. His black and white tipped tail wagged before he curled it around his body, not making a single sound.

He heard the sounds of the night. Small nocturnal animals thrived while Syxx himself, owned the night they borrowed from him. He closed his eyes focusing more attention to the sounds then the little he could see. He growled lowly, and shot himself off the branch and further into the darkness. He knew of something. Something he planned to keep a secret until he had quelled the matter at hand and to strike fear into the heart of another. He kept his goal in sight and his mind at ease… for good reason.

* * *

_**X**_

* * *

Krystal signed. She fed and poked at her fire in the small camp that she had built. The vixen had reverted back to her primitive clothing, though she did keep her other outfits and forms of technologies nearby in her Cloudrunner. She had the ship parked nearby but in remained under a thick canopy of forest leaves and branches that had already grown in. She hadn't seen Fox for two or three days at this point, though she kept the bay under surveillance and watched the Slayers motions.

She crept a single finger into the little black box. She removed a photo. The one of Fox McCloud and he was smiling. It made her smile too, but it wasn't worth it. It was a dry and ancient smile. She wanted him back so badly. She still remained in sense of her guilt.

Krystal slowly looked up as something triggered her sixth sense. In another moment she looked back down, thinking nothing of it. She lived in the forest, many things snapped in the night. Her heart battered hard into her head, as she heard a loud _snap_ and saw a bush just beyond the reach of the fires light, shift. She reached across the tree she was leaning on, and grasped the staff, holding it into her chest. She felt light headed and frightened. She couldn't hear anything, but she could sense a force. Her heart jumped again as she heard another bush move and crackle. She slowly stood and pointed the end of her staff into the trees, as the end was glowing.

"Hahahah… afraid of what's behind the walls?"

Krystal spun around on her heal. The voice had come from behind her. The tree she had her back on. A black vulpine leaned of the side of it, looking toward her. She had been stricken. She didn't know what to think or do. She was relived to see him, and yet with this black fox dwelled an uncontained fear within her that had emerged. "Fox…" her voice shuttered. "How long have you been standing there?"

The female tried to react but within a fraction of a second the black fox had already advanced on her, and had her by the neck. She had to be on her tiptoes to keep herself from being strangled.

The black fox spoke viciously, baring his golden tooth. "My name is not Fox. Above anyone you should now that by now."

She remained speechless. She didn't know what to say. There was nothing to say.

Syxx grinned evilly. "Sucks when the tables get turned doesn't it?" He laughed making the vixen shiver and gasp in fear. "Lady Karma is a b-tch. Now, what do you want?"

"I- I don't want anything."

"Why did you follow me here?" Syxx glared into her eye.

Krystal couldn't answer. But it gave her the chance to look into the empty eyes of the former Fox McCloud once again. She could still read them, but instead of making her feel safe, they terrorized her. The vixen still saw the emptiness and the anger that lived within. She felt buried tears begin to burn at her own eyes. And Syxx could see that. It made him feel good, and revenged seeing a crystalline tear fall down her face. Her bottom jaw shuttered and her perky ears drooped, making her look like a frightened kit. But so little of Fox still existed; he cared not and was past the point of sympathy… especially toward Krystal.

Syxx grasped her staff. She resisted for a moment, but then met his haunting eyes again, and she slowly released it. Syxx twirled the rod in one paw, with the other he lifted the vixen from the ground and tossed her aside. He stepped back toward the tree that Krystal had been leaning on. He saw the photo of himself on the ground. Without thought, he tossed it into the roaring fire.

Krystal gasped and jumped from the ground. "No!!!" She risked the burns to save the small photo from the fire. She smelled a little bit of burning fur. She snuffed out the flame and stopped the glowing edges from burning. She held it into her breasts and closed her eyes, now in a fetal position. The vixen opened her eyes as the light over her was covered by Syxx standing between her and the fire.

The tall Slayer growled. "Give it to me."

The vixen took a deep breath. "No."

"Give me the picture."

"No!" The vixen snapped. She folded her muzzle between her knees and closed her eyes. "You can't have it." She held away tears.

Syxx took a step back, laughing. "Just as stubborn as you've always been." He turned his back to the crunched vixen.

A tear ran down the blue fox's face. "What made you do it?"

Syxx stopped, his muzzle dropped slightly. "What?"

She spoke just above a whisper. "Do you have any idea the pain you put everyone through? How could you Fox?"

Syxx's mind sparked. He threw himself around. With brute strength he grabbed the other fox by the neck and with one paw, he pinned her up to a tree. Krystal's feet dangled as she struggled and choked. The vixen couldn't see the aggressive look over the black fox's muzzle. He was nothing but a silhouette before the flickering fire. But, still… she held on to the picture. She held it tight until the larger vulpine dropped her once again. Krystal fell to the ground. She piled up in heap.

"How could I!?!" Syxx snapped.

Krystal had already regretted saying what she did. For a moment she had forgotten what she had done, but the guilt came glooming back to her. "Fox… I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't mean to what?"

"I-I didn't think it ever turn out this way! I never thought you would change so much."

Syxx stood above her. "Look at the photo Krystal." He smiled. "You see the way it used to be? The way I used to care? Don't_ you_ tell me, what I put others through. Say what you put me through."

"Fox… I'm sor-"-

"I can't believe I came back here. I thought that it would be different here, but I guess something's just don't change… And some things do. Now…" the vulpine glared down at her, lowering his voice into a fierce and violent tone. "You."

The hair stood on the back of her neck and she turned her gaze from the photo upward. Syxx took a step forward, and she shuffled backward as he moved closer and closer to her. Soon her back was pinned to the tree. "Krystal." She looked up again as he said her name. She immediately shuttered in fear. Her breathing turned harder and faster as she closed her eyes, still keeping a firm grasp on the picture. Syxx rumbled. "You're a liability to me now. You know my secret. I've come too far, to start this way again. I don't need you running around being a little tattle tale."

"I-I-" She wanted to cry from fear and from guilt. Her eyes burned.

"Exactly… you. It's always about you. It was all about getting even with me."

Krystal knew it was true. She was upset with herself and this vulpine. She began to grow angry. She was cornered. She blindly threw a fist forward and it connected with a firm stroke. When she realized what had happened, it was so satisfying. She saw her paw caught in the one of the larger fox's. He clamped his paw down on it, maker her whine. She was partially in shock. She had always been faster then Fox. Because of her training as a Cerinian, she had always been able to beat him in close quarters. Perhaps she still could, but right now he had the upper hand.

"If you think you have the will to bring me to the ground you would be greatly mistaken. Anything you start I'm going to finish. You're weak… just as you've always been."

She spoke through painfully bared teeth. "What does it mean… what is Armageddon Soul?"

Syxx leaned down and spoke directly into the vixen's ear. "Remember when I saved you from this godforsaken planet? I taught you what you needed to survive in the new world. And when it came down to the line, you couldn't do the same for me could you? I gave you second life. You couldn't even give me a second chance. Six words… the words that killed Fox."

She closed her eyes. The words drilled through her head. She could sense the familiarity of them. The darkened voice that said them now matched with who it had come from. It had come from Fox. She shivered and shuttered in fear. The guilt sunk in. She could feel it weighing down on her. She began to cry. She opened her eyes, to stare up at her true fear, and so it stood. A dark fox whose mind she could read only on occasion; only when he let her… and only when she was strong enough.

The fox still stood above her, and as if he had read her mind, he spoke. "Care to take a look inside?" He smiled. "Find the darkest place."

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

Krystal shuddered. The light was so bright. She could hear waves. She could hear the sea. The scenery faded in. She found herself standing on a sandy beach. A light breeze flowed through her hair and through her soft blue fur. The light just peeked over the horizon, making the sky orange over the ocean. The breeze blew waves into shore, and she sat down. The waves rolled in, right up to her sandals. She was actually able to smile before she heard a wet sloshing. She looked over down the beach and saw something dragging itself along the beech. The horror story began…

The vixen's heart jumped. She leapt to her feet and ran down the beech. Soon she could see who it was. It was Fox. Krystal screamed his name. "Fox!!!" She felt the cool ocean water as she ran through it. She slowed down as she neared Fox. She leaned down to help him to his feet. She tried to grasp his arm, but… she couldn't. Krystal couldn't hold on. She couldn't touch him, like she wanted to so badly. She watched as her paw passed right through his body. She whimpered. "Fox..." But she was invisible to him. She was like a ghost.

All the vixen could do was watch the red fox drag himself to the shore. In a little while he made his way to the dry sandy shore, and the fox collapsed on the beach, and all Krystal could do, was watch. The red fox breathed deeply, and rolled himself over. He now lay on his back, propping himself up with one elbow, his entire body covered with sand. With his other paw, he searched over his body and down to his holster. Fox placed his paw on the grip of the Blaster, and pulled it out. But before he could do anything, he started coughing. Fox turned onto his side, and began to cough up sea water.

The vulpine placed both paws on the Blaster. With one, he pulled back the receiver and the weapon charged. Fox looked up into the trees beyond the shore and the beech. Something in the shadows moved. He rolled back onto his back and set the aimer of the Blaster into the branches. Krystal already knew what and who was going to emerge from the shadows. She knew, that soon, she would see the terrorizing black fox surface, and that he did. Krystal saw him jump once, and in that one jump he was already upon Fox. He stood above him, glaring down.

Fox raised one paw, the paw with the Blaster. His arm was shuddering. Possibly he was cold, but more likely, he was in fear. She could see the look in his eyes, the horrifying fear that was cast over him. He slowly drew in the trigger of the weapon to hear a terrifying _click_ and low voltage sparks surrounding the weapon, indicating a waterlogged plasmatic weapon. The red fox shook his head and tossed the Blaster aside, and into the sand. He slowly turned his head upwards into the eyes of his oppressor.

The black fox growled. He leaned down to pick up the fox, and he did with one paw, just as before. Krystal's eyes flamed in rage with the black fur. She tried to pull Fox away but she couldn't do anything. She wasn't there, all she could do was watch in horror Syxx drew the knife, back past his waist.

Krystal cried out. "Please! No!"

Krystal's heart broke in half as Fox turned his head to her. His deep eyes begged, they pleaded for mercy and revealed bottomless fear, while remaining wide. A drop of water dashed down Fox's cheek. He stared at the blue vixen he spoke a short phrase to her. His raspy voice choked. "Please… help me."

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

Krystal took a deep breath, and the next time she opened her eyes, she was back in her camp. Her eyes looked for the Slayer. But… he wasn't there. All was dark. Not even the fire flickered. Not a single ember remained. Everything around her was dark, except for the sky which was spotted with white lights.

"Fox." She whispered into the darkness. "Please. Forgive me Fox. I don't want you to be this way anymore… please." She held back tears, trying to be strong. But soon she found that the vulpine was no longer with her. The words that _Fox _uttered had scarred her and remained echoing in her head. Krystal embraced Fox's fear. She found herself taking into the night alone… once again all alone.

Syxx had become a master of hiding his mind. It was extremely hard to do, and nearly impossible to complete perfectly. No matter what he did, there was always a trace and there was always a signal. But if he put enough fear into Krystal, there was no way she could. He knew of her guilt and unfortunately it was the same burden he once had to bare.

Syxx sat on top of a branch of a tree. He watched what he could in the night but it wasn't what he saw that he wanted to witness. He wanted to hear her, and that he could. He listened to her mumble into the night hysterically and her whines and whimpers until it finally put her off to terrorized silence or a horrid shallow sleep. They all satisfied him, and fed his revenge. Soon the sniveling stopped, and content enough, Syxx left the scene, pleased with his work, and his vengeance.

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

"So where did you run off to last night?" Kyla always had a way of finding Syxx, and knowing where he was. She found him sitting on the wing of a silver fighter, with his back up against the fuselage with his feet across the wings.

He lay there, looking into the sun. His black absorbed the majority of the heat in the cool morning sun. He left his sunglasses over his eyes. "Just to the beach and back."

"Oh really?"

"You know I like the dark. It's the closest I've got to home."

She smiled. "What about me? Am I not home enough?"

Syxx got up off the wing and walked off. He made his way into the entrance of the Ocean Force Point Temple where the Slayers had made a home behind the head of the Krazoa in the large room. Kyla had followed, trying to stop him and get eye contact. He had to hand it to her, she did have great perseverance. Syxx was about to say something. But a sound resonated through the air; a low and long moan from a distance. Syxx hadn't heard such a noise for a long time. He knew the sound of a Earthwalker dinosaur, and they matched perfectly. It made his heart stop.

Kyla looked past the eyes of the Krazoa statue toward the outside. "What was that?"

"It's what I've feared." Syxx ran out the mouth of the Krazoa statue and into the sunlight of the docks. Across the low valley where the water fall ran, he could see a small army of dinosaurs, all of the same species. Each had valiant wear, but one more then the others. One looked more of royalty, and nobility; the king of the Earthwalker dinosaurs, once a prince, prince Tricky… king Tricky.

Syxx stepped across the bridge, and before he knew it, the other Slayers had assembled behind him, each with their favored Mapaw variant. Without haste, Syxx stepped right in front of largest of all the Earthwalkers. He was much smaller but still stood his ground. He still recognized the prince within this larger beast that had now grown to become a king.

With maturity the prince too had lost his casualness and had grown to become more serious. The Earthwalker roared. "What is your purpose here?"

Syxx growled back. "We mean no trouble to you."

"And yet you've caused it. Leave this planet at once or suffer the consequences."

"I will do no such thing." Out of the corner of either eye Syxx saw his team take a step forward together and raise their weapons. "Stand down." He said, even after the Earthwalkers had completely surrounded them.

"Syxx." Pyro put the muzzle of his weapon down.

"Don't even think about it." Syxx turned back to the king. "We let you live in peace. You let us. Do we have a deal?"

The king snuffed. "I heed a warning to you. We may not meet on such friendly terms next time. Do not tempt my patients toward you and your comrades."

Syxx smiled, showing a golden fang. "I look forward to it."


	37. Separator

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXVII**

**Separator

* * *

**"_Have you come down,  
From all the peeling?  
'Cause I remember holy,  
And only God can save me,_

_Still I'm falling,  
Still I'm Falling,_

_This is the last time I'll speak of holding you,"_

**36 CRAZYFISTS –** _**"Ceramic"

* * *

  
**_

"This is unacceptable… this is intolerable Lieutenant."

"Four Slayers have gone rogue Sir, will all due what the hell do you want _me_ to do about it?" Paul Ramirez stood in front of Colonel Harper's desk. It was as if it was _his _entire fault. It had been over a week since the four Slayers had taken their leave from the program. Not that there was much stopping them. The Slayers had seniority of fear over any other personnel on the base. This escape proved their true power and ruthlessness to kill even their own allies of Marines and Infantrymen on the base. They even took down a Landmaster Tank.

"You're lucky I don't bump you down to Corporal for this."

"Permission to speak freely_ Sir_?"

"Denied."

The Lieutenant shook his head and did so anyway. "As if this is my fault Sir! I agreed to train the Slayers I will not be held responsible for them deserting the military! I'm sure if the public found out about this, they would be all over you, not me."

The orange feline leaned back into his desk. "No such thing will happen. I need a team to overtake the rogue Slayers."

"Sir! These are the most advanced warriors that the system has ever known. Let alone Syxx is rogue enough as it is to resort to any tactics to grant him victory. Syxx doesn't lose."

"I don't think you understand the severity of this matter Lieutenant."

"Sir?"

"Any AWOL troops are tough to deal with. Commandos are hard to find, Marines are tough to catch. But Slayers…" Colonel Harper paused and lifted the cup of coffee to his muzzle. "A Slayer can _smell_ a trap from a hundred clicks away, and instead of running, they'll hit it full force with a solo counter attack. If we fail to silence these Slayers, it could cause them to turn on us."

The raccoon scratched the back of his head. "So…"

"Damn it Ramirez, we could be talking about destruction on a mass scale. The leave of troops like this could be the equivalent to losing track of hundreds of Photonic weapons. Weapons on a mass scale. Weapons that could obliterate nearly every planet in the system." The cat set the cup down. "Assemble a Strike Force. Anything you need Lieutenant is yours."

"Understood Sir. But how are we going to find them?"

Kole Harper scratched his chin. "The F1's have tracking devices in them. Perhaps they over looked that aspect. Assemble your Force. Special Ops, Marines, Commandos, anything you need. I want you off the record and off base in forty-eight hours. This attack never happened."

"Yes, Sir." The raccoon turned around and headed for the door. "I'll use Slayers to-"

"No!!!" The feline jumped up from his desk. "When the other Slayers find out of this, it could cause them to think the same way. The last thing we need is more AWOL Slayers."

"Ok Sir. I got it."

"And Lieutenant."

Paul turned around to see the orange fur. "Exterminate the rogue Slayers at all costs."

"What of Syxx?"

"Dead."

"Or alive?"

The Colonel paused and glared at him. "No."

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

Krystal opened her eyes. She was cold. The fire had died long ago. She wouldn't ever forget what happened last night. Her fearful encounter with a legendary warrior, the one she had at one time called Fox, and her hero, and was proud to do so. She could feel her soul wounded from within the fox's mind. She had watched Fox from within the beast. This terror still held a sliver of Fox within him. Fox wasn't dead, she saw him and he needed her to help him to escape.

She shivered. The sun had not yet broken the horizon, and the trees and grasses around her remained moist with a film of morning dew, including her fur. She was freezing. Krystal brought herself to her feat. She felt a few new bruises from her encounter. She made her way to her small shelter, and crawled into the sleeping bag. She shivered profusely, until the cold sleeping bag slowly warmed her up. She smiled as the warmth came flowing back to her, and she snuggled herself in the bag. Wishing there was someone there to hold her back. Wishing for Fox. Her Fox.

It was now she had time to reflect on the events; the terror that was Fox, and the dying vulpine that still lived within. The blue fox had a hard time overcoming the black fur's mind. She had troubles finding it and fighting it, even in a calm environment. She couldn't read it most the time or even sense it. It made him extremely difficult to track.

Then there was the other side of it though. When Syxx left the door to his mind open, sometimes she couldn't find her way out, and soon found herself lost in a dark and tormenting world. This was a world that she once knew well. And with the dissipation of this mind the fear went with it. His only fear, the fear of being found had now come true, meaning that he had nothing else to be afraid of and nothing else to lose… which worried her even more. There was no limit to what he could do now.

She wanted to call for help. But now, she feared that her own life was in danger. And with Syxx having nothing else to lose, what was stopping him from putting silence to her? Perhaps the survival of Fox in his mind kept him from putting an end to her life, but she wasn't going to count on it. Fox was dependable, but there wasn't much left of him.

Never the less, she saw Fox again, and he was still alive. But he needed her help to overcome Syxx and she intended to aid in so.

Yes, Fox was still alive… but for how much longer? How much more time did she have?

She murmured to herself, holding back the ever last of tears. "I'm going to help you Fox. I'm going to save you."

_**

* * *

X

* * *

  
**_

Up at the crack of dawn… as usual; it was the way he had been his whole life ever since his father had rounded him. Syxx stared at the horizon. He awaited Sol to peek over the bay.

Two days ago he had faced Krystal. He could still taste her fear and is what propelled him. Syxx still had a problem though. He didn't know what to do with her. She knew of his secret. Kyla too knew of his secret, but that was different. He trusted Kyla, but the same could no longer be said about the blue fox. She had deceived him and betrayed him. He could still, after all this time feel that gaping hole in his heart… the hole of dishonesty and the hole of betrayal. The hole that unfortunately no matter how hard he wanted it to be could never be filled by Kyla… or even Krystal. The hole could only be filled with the pain of others. The kill. Kyla was a big help though. She was someone to talk to. Kyla understood; and still he wondered what the story was behind her.

He whispered into the air. "This is the last time I speak of holding you."

Sharp eyes dashed through the forest. The all knowing… the all seeing… the Slayer. Dawn was the best time to hunt. The black fur's eyes watched and stalked its prey. The knife silently left the sheath, wielded and ready for the kill. All was silent, but his prey knew and was spooked away, into the forest. Syxx knew not by his presence. There was another force acting out there, this one different from any he recognized, but there was still a familiarity to it.

Syxx stood still. His enhanced senses focused on a new prey. He peeked around the corner of the tree he set his back to. His ear twitched before he jumped aside, his paw slammed backward toward the tree that he had just jumped away from. The Night Knife sparked it slashed something else metallic. Before Syxx knew it, he was in a fight with a stranger. Syxx yelled and ripped the knife downward, but it was caught by another metallic blade, of the same stature. The two blades sparked as the forces met each other.

The black fox growled. The opposing force pulled upward on their locked knives, tossing Syxx back a few steps. Syxx dodge the slashing razor, and grasped the paw that held the attacking razor edge. He tucked the paw under his arm and wailed a few aggressive punches to the attacker's muzzle, making carful attention to make sure, that the knife, in that same paw was doing no damage to himself or the assailant. He wanted to know who it was. He wanted them alive.

Syxx rumbled. He kicked the assailant backward. He heard the thump of his back hitting a tree. The back fox slammed the knife into the tree right next to the attackers head. Syxx raised one eye and took a step back. "What the-?"

"Go ahead! Slice me! It'll be the last thing you'll ever do."

"What are you doing here you waste of fur?" Syxx lessened his grip on the dagger. He lifted up the sleeve of his attacker, looking onto his left shoulder. Over his grey and brown fur a white star stood; the spec of a legendarily elite Cornerian warrior. Syxx laughed viciously. "You're a Slayer."

"You're d-mn rights I am!"

Syxx's face became more serious. "How did you find me here?"

"I'm not the only one who knows."

Syxx pulled the knife from the tree. He let the other Slayer go. He found himself standing in front of a coyote. His height was a little shy of Syxx's, but essentially they were about the same size. He wore a white T-shirt, and what had once been the training tunic, now had been turned into a vest when the arms of the jacket had been cut off. His brown hair flowed past his tall pointed ears, into a small pony tail at the back of his head. The coyote reached a paw into the pocket of his vest. He pulled out a white cigarette, and with the other paw he lit it with a lighter. He took a long and much needed drag. He let the smoke escape through his nose as he exhaled.

"That's not what I asked _Mykll_." Syxx put his knife back in its place. He tossed the other knife through the air. The edges cut the air as the blade spun.

Mykll caught it in his paw and rolled it back into its sheath on his belt. "Well that's what I'm saying. The top ranks know where you are; and they're not happy about it." He took a seat on a long. "They got all kinds of forces heading here. Snipers… Special Ops teams. The whole _sh-tt-ry._"

Syxx leaned up against the tree. His back slid down until he was sitting. "How did they know?"

He took another my puff. "My best guess; tracking devices in the F1's. High tech machines, they must have some sweet security. There might have been a beacon from the planet too, just sent back a few days ago. We didn't hear much on that though. We can't say for sure."

Syxx stared at the ground in front of his boots he growled deeply.

"You got someone in mind?"

Syxx closed his eyes. "A couple _someones_ actually."

"Never the less, they know you're here. They know that you are all here. I don't think they're taking too kindly to the AWOL. Especially to the AWOL Slayers. They don't care about us. They're just trying to save their own tails, and kill us rather then release the info of Slayer."

"Assassins en route?"

"I'd guess. You guys would make pretty little targets for snipers in that bay. Anything they can send to silently kill you all."

"Any idea when they're sending squads to neutralize us."

"Naturally, they want you silenced as quickly as possible."

"How much time?"

Mykll took another deep drag. "You don't have much time. The plan to insert teams covertly… If I heard right. You have a day. If you keep an eye out, you should see Savages over the horizon at 0600."

Syxx's heart jumped. "How about the best thing to kill us? Are they sending Slayers?"

"Well." The coyote looked up and smiled. He tapped the end of his smoke, letting the ashes fall toward the moist ground, and soon burning out. "That's where things kinda' get funny. After you guys deserted Slayer the rest of us got to thinking. We began doing our own research. After we learned the fundamentals of Slayer, we began to think the same way. You won't be fighting any of your own kind in this battle."

Syxx looked from his boots upward. "What of the rest of the Slayers?"

"I speak the word of all the Slayers when I say, Syxx… _we wish to join you._"

The black fox's eyes lit up. He was speechless for a moment. "When are they sending teams to neutralize us?" He had repeated himself from earlier, slightly in shock.

"I bet you got twenty-four from now. If you're lucky."

"I wouldn't expect betrayal from the Slayers would I? You wouldn't be leading me into a trap would you?"

Mykll coughed. "By your own kind? That'd be pretty low."

Syxx growled, thinking back to his past. "Wouldn't be first time."

Mykll offered the smoke to Syxx. "Think about it. You, Kyla, Cobalt, and Pyro; how far can you get holding off the whole Cornerian Military? Add thirty-eight more Slayers to _your_ team and we become a small army; an army that can hold off the entire Cornerian Military. The reason we were trained was to silence rebellious forces. Who better to become rebels? We will follow under your command."

Syxx rejected the smoke. "How long until you can have the Slayers assembled?"

"I bet I could have them on this planet in twelve hours."

"Yeah? Well you've got ten. Before dark not after. Get some more intel on the attack."

The coyote raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a plan."

Syxx turned his back to the other Slayer. "Oh, and I can't find my leather jacket."

Mykll smilled. "I'll take care of it."


	38. The Push

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXVIII**

**The Push

* * *

**

_"__We've come this far,  
Not backing down,  
Can't stop it now,  
We'll fight ourselves another war,_

_And I'm not leaving,  
With out admitting all our sins,  
One last thought before I die,  
Define our need to fight,"_

**DROPPING DAYLIGHT **_**– "War Song"

* * *

**_

Syxx stood atop the Ocean Force Point Temple. Three other legendary warriors stood beside him. The sky was orange with the evening light. He awaited the coming of his very own army.

Syxx growled. "Time?"

"Two thousand hours Syxx." Pyro relayed.

"You're sure they're coming?" Kyla asked.

"Of course not." Syxx replied with a slight grin. "I'm hoping."

The horizon began to darken. From within the distance, specks filled the sky. It looked like a swarm of insects. The small black dots began to close in, and behind each and every one, trailing silver followed the ships, and silhouetted against the warm sky. Each trail led to a black and mirrored fighter each with a black star painted on the wing. The Black Blade Star… the mark of the Slayer.

Syxx smile grew now. "Here we go."

The ships flew over the Slayers. The air around them screeched with the sound of the whining Hook Echo engines. The ships began to set down one by one, behind the four F1's that already took their place atop the temple. Soon, all the engines were cut. All was silent before the hatches of the ships opened, all emitting a _hiss_ sound. Every warrior came out suited in the Vortec armoring. Some were bigger then others, but each was just as good as the next. Each of them held a weapon variant of the Mapaw.

They all filed out from one another making a wall of troops. One Slayer of the bunch came forward standing right in front of Syxx. The black fox still stood strong, keeping a powerful and aggressive look on his face, showing his golden tooth. The silver armored Slayer looked over his shoulder to the other and gesture his head. Another Cornerian passed him up a jacket with a red bandana across it. The warrior handed it to Syxx.

The black fox growled. "You're late."

The soldier in front of him lifted the helmet off his head, and rested it under his arm. "Had a hard time finding your jacket." It was Mykll.

Syxx tossed his jacket aside, and Kyla caught it. Syxx paced around the legendaries. He knew that they could see him, glare them right in the eye with every silver visor that he surpassed. "Slayers!" he shouted out among all of them. He smiled viciously, looked upon his new force. "We've come this far, and we're not backing down! Let's get ready to fight ourselves another war! Slayers!" He paused. "Welcome to Sauria!"

All the soldiers jumped and cheered, knowing that under the command of Syxx, and with their own hardened battle potential, they were the new most powerful force that the Lylat System had ever known.

_**

* * *

X

* * *

**_

"Defensive positions achieved. Sir."

"Good." Syxx smiled. "Pyro. What time is it?"

"zero-five-thirty."

Syxx growled. "They're gonna' be here any second."

Mykll nodded. "Snipers are in position."

"Kyla." Syxx spoke through the radio in his Vortec. "You're lead sniper." He stared out to the cliffs that looked over Cape Claw where the snipers hid. "Anything that moves, anything that isn't a Slayer you have permission to take the shot on. Mykll, we have grounded Hook Echo's on top of the temple with activated stealth generators. Any drop ships that come into range, open fire on. You're in charge of Hook Echo anti-air. Kyla any that crash land and make it out alive I want you to kill. Pyro is leading the air division, and were going to try to funnel the ships into the bay. Once they're in here. It's just going to be a killing field. Cobalt you're in charge of the free range teams. Clean up dropship crash sites. Points check in, leave ranking officers alive. Repeat, leave Sergeant Ranks and above alive. Cobalt, you and the free range teams are to take the officers are alive."

"You got it Syxx."

"We'll take care of it."

Different Slayers checked in.

Kyla stared down the scope, looking toward Syxx in the distance, who was standing on the temple. "What of you Syxx?"

"I'll be free range solo. Slayers, use any force necessary."

"Syxx! This is Slayer seventy, Lisa. We have birds on the horizon due South of the bay. ETA two minuets!"

Syxx stared at the sky and growled. "Slayers in position!!! Pyro! You are clear to launch air assault. Funnel them into the Claw!" Syxx spun around looking at the rest his troops. "Good hunting!"

_**

* * *

X

* * *

**_

Lieutenant Ramirez stood in the front of the Savage dropship. "Ok Marines listen up! You are about to face the strongest warriors in the system! Our insertion point is two clicks west of bay located on the cost. We've confirmed, that is were the Slayers have based out of. We have one advantage though, we know how they think!"

"Freda-one to drop teams; we have multiple bogeys in bound. Prepare for evasive maneuvers!"

"Roger that! We're set!"

The weight in the ship doubled as the Savage pulled up; the soldiers inside the ship who were standing all dropping to the floor. The screech of a missile ran by the hull of the Savage missing by what sounded like mere centimeters.

The raccoon made his way to his feat. He looked into the cock pit. "What the h-ll is going on!?!"

"We're being painted! Multiple missiles in bound!" The ship lurched as the hull was hit by lazar fire. The cab began to fill with smoke, and sparks.

Ramirez looked back to the Marines. "Open the hatch! It's time for a hard drop Marines! We're never going to make it to the LZ!"

"Lieutenant!" The pilot hissed into the microphone. "We're over an ocean! Don't drop! Repeat! Do not drop!"

The ship lurched again. The thrusters caked in, and the bulky ship accelerated toward the LZ. The blast doors opened. The ship whirled with air as brightness cracked in and the smoke seeped out. When the shock of the opening door cleared, the Marines looked out the bay doors. The blue of the ocean soon ended, and green forests raced below them.

The copilot cut in. "Lieutenant! Airspace around the LZ is too hot! Savages are dropping left and right! You are clear to drop! Drop now!"

"Roger that! Marines! File out! Go! Go!" the Cornerian shouted.

The Marines filed out of the ship. Their arms spread as they hit the air, and spun before beginning their decent. Ramirez ensured he was the last one in the hold. "Good luck Fre-" The NCO was cut-off. The air around him heated, and he was blinded. The world around him collapsed, when he hit the floor. He felt himself falling and twisting. When he opened his eyes he swore it was all black and white. He saw the ship that he had fallen from above himself, between his limp limbs. It burned in bright white, before a silver flash crossed through the dropship, sending into a brilliant explosion of green and white. Two fighters raced passed it, both followed by slashes of white plasma. The ships ruptured the atmosphere as they ran by, deafening him.

He blinked again, and saw the ground racing for him. He tried to react fast, searching over his body. He felt the weight of his body flare as he pulled the rip cord and the parachute caught him. The trees approached him fast and he hit them. His body tumbled through the branches, as the straps caught him, hanging him in the tree. Before long he blacked out, hanging from tree meters above the forest floor.

As far as he knew it was hours before he was found. His vision soon became again; fading in slowly. He could hear his own breath and the seeming distant conversing voices occasionally mentioning his name or his rank.

"Lieutenant. Lieutenant Ramirez!"

"Is he ok?"

"He's breathing. Let's get him down!"

"Come on hurry! We've got to move! It's not going to take long for… _them_ to close in."

Ramirez shook his head. A middle aged hound looked dead at him, face to face. "Hope you land on your feat Sir!" He smiled.

The raccoon fell from the tree. He landed with a_ thud_ but jumped to his feat; he pulled out his Blaster and coughed. "What's our statues?"

"We only have communications with six of the twelve Savages. But only a handful of the Renegade fighters have checked in."

"So we still have half the birds?"

"I didn't say that."

The raccoon uttered a dry chuckle. "Any good news Corporal?"

"We have one grounded Savage ten clicks North of our position. And everyone in our squad has survived."

A fox cut in, resting his M27 on his lap. "Minus our pilots that is."

Ramirez nodded. "Right." He looked around at the squad. It was a decent sized fire team, fifteen Marines plus himself. "Let's get to Freda crash site. Maybe we can still save our pilots."

"Yes Sir. Freda-one crash site is a half kilometer North of here. They've activated their SOS beacons."

"You think their armor can read the beacons?"

"No idea." The raccoon then yelled. "Hut-to! Let's move out Marines!"

The squad moved toward the site. They could hear the sounds of fires and sparks before they saw the Savage or what was left of it. It had made a long clearing in the trees, where the ship had skidded to a halt. Ramirez froze. He wasn't just seeing sparks, smoke and fire. There was something else too. He was seeing small arms fire originate from the cockpit. He stopped at the tree line, keeping low, and commanding the rest of the squad to lie down, and find cover.

He turned his head back to the crash site. He saw green shots of plasma burn out of the cab toward the trees. The ship exploded again, burning off the remainder of its fuel.

"What are we waiting for?" a Marine whispered.

"Hold fire." Ramirez continued to watch. "Stay hidden."

The fire from the cab stopped. He heard a shout of pain from the direction of the Savage; a yelp that made the whole squad shift. He watched as a body came flying out of the Savage, and had its back slam into a tree. Blood marked the vegetation, all around the body, as the pilot landed, dead. Red covered the tree.

Ramirez whispered. "Switch to thermal vision."

They obeyed and soldiers pointed their weapons down range, and waited. They waited to see something move. They waited for something to shoot at… but there was nothing. There wasn't a sound. They never got a chance to see a thing, and they waited. A half hour had passed before anyone said anything.

The Lieutenant whispered. "Let's go clean up that signal. Keep your wits sharp."

The soldiers submitted from the trees. They kept their eyes sharpened as they neared the smoldering ship. Ramirez directed the squad around with paw movements, while he himself made his way to the massacred body that was covered in half vegetation and by this time flies. The pilot that had flown them in now lay dead. A clean slash ran up his torso, letting his guts spill out. The look of fear still covered his face. He pulled off the tags.

"Looks like the copilot was slashed too Sir."

"Gather weapons and ammo. They might be back soon."

"If they're not still here…"

A bulldog stared down the sites of his Gatling gun. A red speck illuminated on his thermal vision, deep within the trees. He himself was familiar with Slayers. He knew a Marine couldn't move that fast, while still having the silhouette of a Lylatian. Without another thought, he pulled in the trigger. "Contact!"

Other Marines converged on his position. They all locked onto the target and fired. They tracked it as it moved through the trees, but no one could hit it, and soon it disappeared altogether.

"Marines! Disengage! Repeat disengage! We have to regroup the rest of our forces! Solo efforts on Slayers are useless!"

They kept firing, until they could all get away and disappear into the deep forests of Sauria, all running as if their lives depended on it.

A Slayer sat on top of the dropship , leaning his arm over his knee. He watched the Marines disappear into the woods. He remained silent, watching them scramble and run away, finding it quiet humorous. "Syxx. This is _Reaver_."

He waited for a moment before the black fur replied into the communication system. "Reaver."

"Marine patrols, heading west-north-west. I'd say about a little more then a dozen. You want them dead?"

"Negative. Wait until they regroup, with the rest of their forces. We take them all out at once. Clean. Got it?"

The dark wolf smiled. "Yes Sir, Syxx."

_**

* * *

X

* * *

**_

Three Slayers moved swiftly. The first dropship had fallen... the first of many; this one, on the beach of Cape Claw. Very few of the Cornerian ships had funneled in. They were able to take out only two of the ships that way, but at least this one was good and close. It would be a quick clean up. Cobalt led the small team. Each different Slayer was set with their preferred Mapaw. Cobalt set himself with the pistol formative.

"Cobalt." Kyla said through the radios in the Vortec's. She looked down on the crash site. The wide winged Savage nose plowed into the sand on the beach, and bodies lay motionless behind the ship. "Two targets in site, plus a confirmed officer. Syxx wants him alive."

Cobalt and the Slayers neared the site. "Got it. Can you take out the others?"

"I can barely see one. When you round the ship, look left and take one out. That'll lure out the other and I can take him."

"Roger that." Cobalt stopped. "Kolt, flank left and take the officer alive."

The husky nodded his head. "Not my specialty, but I'll do it."

"Move in!" Cobalt jumped around the corner of the ship. He lifted his paw and shot the Mapaw with a single arm. He fired three shots, each of the steel plasma rounds found their target, the torso of a Cornerian Rifleman. He turned quickly, to find the spray of airborne blood passing through the helmet of another Marine, and landing on the surface of his HUD. Cobalt saw the officer too, just before he dropped.

"Have a f-ck-ng nap!" Kolt slammed the butt of his weapon down on the head of the officer hound. The weapon fell from his paw into the sand.

Lisa, a cream colored feline peeked around the corner of the dropship. The troop bay was open. She armed a plasma fragmentation grenade, and cooked it, for three seconds. "Frag out!" she hissed. Shortly after hitting the inner deck of the ship, it exploded, sending shards out the back of the downed ship.

Kolt lifted the heavy machine gun Mapaw to his shoulder. "Breaching! Breaching!" He fired the heavy weapon as he entered. It chattered away, cutting down anyone that had survived the crash and the blast. He entered the cockpit of Savage, seeing the two dead pilots. Blood covered the control panels and speckled the windshield. "Clear!"

Lisa shouted "Area clear!"

Cobalt spoke through the radio of the Vortec. "Syxx this is Cobalt. We've secured a crash site and one surviving officer. Orders?"

Kyla replied. "Syxx is having radio difficulties, has dropped out of contact, or gone silent. Orders are to secure officers inside the temple, and clean up more crash sites in the area."

"Affirmative. How's the operation around the bay?"

Kyla scoped around Cape Claw. "Blair and his squad are doing the final clean up of the other ship in the bay. Other reports that Slayers are en route to other crash sites within twenty kilometers of Cape Claw. All airborne ships have been neutralized or otherwise grounded."

"Ok. After we drop off the package, we'll head out and take out more patrols."

"Roger." Kyla tracked the other crash site in the bay. Her scope followed a fleeing soldier. She led her shot, calculating out the trajectory. Kyla pulled in the trigger. The Mapaw _snipped,_ she saw the steel plasma round burn the air around it until it met its meat target. Kyla watched the soldiers head thrash backward, before his body fell to the sand, rolling with its own momentum.

"Nice shot." Blair said calmly through the radio. "Target left."

Kyla smiled. "Already saw him." She pulled in the trigger again. She knew that very second that it would hit the target area and it did.

"Oh! That's a hit!" Blair paused on the radio for a moment. "No surviving officers from the crash. Moving on."

Kyla coordinated the Slayers. "Slayer squads, bring back any officers to the temple. Miracle, You and you're squad stay here, and guard the temple. Remaining teams, head for additional crash sites in the area. Sky teams have counted twelve dropships in total, escorted by two dozen Renegade fighters." Don't let them regroup." Kyla stood up from her kneeling position above the cliffs.

Cobalt spoke into the radio. "What of you?"

Kyla looked over the bay. "I can see I'm no longer needed here. I'm going after Syxx."

Blair spoke into the radio. "Roger Kyla. Good hunting."

**_

* * *

X

* * *

_**

Krystal could hear all the action. Every once and a while, a ship would fly right over her camp, thundering the ground and foliage around her. But, soon the action stopped. She wondered what had been going on, and wondered if it was just Fox making low flyovers again, and again, trying to make her angry, but that couldn't be. She had seen more then four aircraft at the same time, and as far as she knew, there were only four on this planet, plus hers of course… but that was it.

She kept her staff and her Blaster close at paw. She fed the fire, and poked at with a stick, already having eaten for the morning, but being stirred out of bed by the low aircraft passing over.

"Freeze!"

"Drop it! Drop all of it!"

Krystal looked around. She jumped to her feat, and stared into the trees. Two men emerged from the bushes. Each had a green outfit on, with scratched silver plating. One wore a helmet, and the other a round hat, but both had a patch over their eye that fed data to them. These were not Slayers. She had seen these Commando's many times on the surface and training ground of Corneria. She still held onto her staff.

"Hey! Don't move!"

"I'm not-" Krystal was cut off.

"Are you a Slayer!?!"

"No I'm-"

The men neared her. Krystal still didn't put her paws up, but two weapons still pointed at her head. She felt one man grab her paw, and there was where she decided to end it. She swung her staff around, striking the hound in the gut, then in the head. She loved how effective her staff was. She spun around again, to see the other soldier looking at her. She froze in his sites, not knowing what to do. She had anticipated him being closer, but he had backed off to fire.

She knew she could get away, she could make it… but she didn't move and the other man just kept standing there, motionless until he dropped to his knees, and then collapsed to the ground altogether. Behind the now dead Commando, stood a red vixen, the other vixen smiled at Krystal, and she recognized her. The vixen that hung around Fox all the time and the one that stole him from her. If there was anytime for a rematch, it was now.

Krystal was blinded by rage. She jumped forward, swinging her staff down, but the vixen got out of the way.

The red fur squealed. "Hey! I just saved you!"

Krystal took another swing. "You didn't save me! You've ruined me!"

Kyla got out of the way of the second swing. "I know who you are, and I know what happened. I know how you feel!"

That statement made Krystal even angrier. "You don't know how I feel! No one knows how I feel!" She continued to swing, and jump toward the vixen. "He stabbed me in the back!"

"And yet you still fight for him?"

"Shut up!"

"So it's a rematch you want?" Kyla jumped back. "Well then it's a rematch you'll get!"

Kyla threw a punch, but she didn't have the range that Krystal did and with the Vortec armoring, it made things nearly even between the two. Krystal didn't even have to step back. She set the staff above her head, and swung it down as hard as she could. Kyla stood her ground, putting out her forearm. The armoring of the Vortec blocked the staff. The ground was showered in sparks.

Krystal smiled, reading the other vixens thoughts. "Hurt didn't it?" The end of the staff started to glow fiery red.

Kyla growled. "More then you'd ever know." She tried to wrap her forearm around the staff, but Krystal had gotten it out of the way in time, already prepared to attack again.

Before Kyla could do anything else, the blue fur swung the staff low. Kyla jumped back. The red fox leaped forward, with her nano-seconds of opportunity. She brought up her knuckle. Knowing that what she was going to give would be the final blow. Though she was a Slayer, though she was fast, she was still a moment too slow. Krystal brought the staff above her head once more, and when Kyla landed, Krystal was able to throw her off. Kyla rolled across the ground, making it to her feet.

The red fox smiled. "You're good." She paused and hissed. "But still no match for a Slayer!"

Kyla leapt once again… but she stopped in mid air. She watched the blue vixen. Krystal had a confused look across her muzzle, and before she could do anything her staff was ripped from her paws and thrown by an invisible force. The Cerinian weapon tumbled through the air, before it stabbed into the ground. Krystal was then plucked from the ground as well. The two vixens stared right at each other, glaring through the thin air, mental sparks raging between them.

The vixen's eyes drifted away from one another. Beside them, holding them both off the ground, a figure materialized. They saw a black furred man, with a white tuff of fur on his head, and a glazed golden tooth. A small screen covered his left eye, and he wore all his armoring except for the helmet.

Kyla's heart raced. "Syxx! I-"

Syxx closed his eyes and growled, while his nose wrinkled and his ears flattened to his skull. Kyla trailed off and became silent, swallowing hard. Her eyes drifted to that of the other vixen, who shared the same look as she did. Kyla then looked away. Both the vixens' bodies dangled in the air, being held by the power warrior.

Syxx looked at one, then, at the other. "If I _ever_ catch you two scrapping again, I'll be the death of you both. Do you two have anything to say for yourselves?"

Kyla wanted to say something, by she kept silent.

Syxx dropped the two vixens on the ground. "I know you know who each other are." Syxx looked to the trees. "Wolve."

A form materialized from the forest followed by two others. "Sir?"

"You and you're squad take this one back to the temple. One of these men is still alive too. Take him back with this scum." Syxx picked up Krystal from the ground. She squeaked, but besides that, didn't protest too much. Syxx handed her off to the wolf. "Don't loose her." He stared her down knowing that she had a lot of anger to unleash on him right now.

Krystal opened her muzzle, but before she could say anything at all, Syxx hissed at her. "I don't need to define my need to fight."

Krystal growled at Syxx but spoke her words to the other vixen. "I'm not done with you!"

"Get rid of her."

"No worries Syxx." The Slayers disappeared into the forest, taking Krystal with them, leaving just Syxx and Kyla.

Syxx turned his back to Kyla.

The vixen spook with a nearly shuddering voice. "I'm sorry about that Syxx."

Syxx turned back to her. "How long did you know she was here?"

"I didn't. I never knew-"

"Kyla!" Syxx snapped.

"I followed you alright!?! When you came at night I followed you!"

"Why?"

"I just like to know that you're safe."

"I can take care of myself."

Kyla sighed. "Well, it seams that kind of thinking is what go you into this mess."

Syxx picked up the staff. He mashed the button, and set the retracted weapon on his back. "Things have changed."

"I know. I'm sorry Syxx. I didn't mean to."

"You see why I didn't want anyone to know!?! Do you see what happens!?!"

"I said I was sorry!"

Syxx shook his head. "It's too late. It's already over."

Kyla came closer to Syxx and wrapped her arms around his chest. "I'm sorry Syxx." She kissed his neck.

Syxx pushed her aside. "We'll deal with it later. Now is not the time."


	39. Kill Grace

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXIX**

**Kill Grace

* * *

**

_"Message of hate, Fading away,  
My love and my failures, 'One in the same,'  
Now that I'm back, Painfully clear,  
I'll be the one to take back the fear,_

_Don't want anything taken away,  
Taken away from me,  
It's all that I believe,"_

**HAIL THE VILLAIN **_**– "Take Back the Fear"

* * *

**_

"Fox? Are you here Fox?"

Krystal opened the door into the vulpine's room aboard the Greatfox. She knocked on the edge of the automatic door looking into the dark room. She had checked everywhere else on the ship. His Arwing was in the hanger… he wasn't on the bridge and her mind led her to this spot, where often he was anyways. That's where the other members thought he was too.

Krystal knocked once more on the wall next to the open door. "Fox?" she whispered, looking into the dark room. "Fox?"

After waiting for a moment, a voice came from the shadows. "Yeah… I'm here Krystal." The voice sounded disappointed, or as if given up.

Krystal took a deep breath. "Lights on."

The lights in the room came on, nearly blinding for a moment before they dimmed to a more turbulent ambiance. She saw Fox sitting in a chair, facing toward her. He tossed a Blaster around in his paw. "Life is _so_ fragile _Krystal_." He looked directly at her. "Everyone needs the basics to survive. Everyone needs, food, everyone needs water, shelter." The red fox paused for a moment. He looked directly at her. "Love."

"Fox wha-"

"Take one of these needs away, and the life dwindles… and it dies." Fox slapped the Blaster from one paw, into another making the mechanics _clank_. "Just like that."

Krystal knew where she was now. She was lost inside one of her dreams again. "Not again." She whispered in horror. "No…" She didn't want to see it again. She knew what happened in here. Her Cerinian background usually led her to dream about a problem until it was resolved. Now, for over two years, these dreams have been haunting her. She just wanted them to stop.

Fox pulled back the receiver of the Blaster. He slowly placed the end of the Blaster up to his chin.

The fur on the back of Krystal's neck stood on end. She shivered. "Fox… lets just talk about this for a minuet. Ok Fox? We can work this all out. How's that sound?"

A tear fell down Fox's fur. He smiled shallowly, and almost laughed. "I don't want it taken away but my love and my failures are one in the same."

The weapon clapped, and flashed. The fox's head slammed backwards, and blood filled the air. The body didn't fall. His head fell limp, resting over his chest, with blood streaming down his jump suit, and soon onto the silvery floor of the Greatfox.

Krystal closed her eyes. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't take the torturing dreams. A lump filled her throat. "Oh Fox…"

She turned around, trying not to cry… trying so hard, clenching her paws in tight fists. She slowly headed for the door, when from behind her she heard a _clank _and a_ slosh_; the sound of a weapon, the sound of blood churning and the sound of the Blaster landing in a pool of red_. _ Krystal spun around on her heal. The Blaster had fallen from Fox's limp paw just before she turned around. Perhaps a sign of life… maybe? She looked at the weapon that had just fallen to the floor, and landed in a deep pool of red blood.

"F- Fox?" She moved closer, breath shuddering in fear. "Fox?" The fur on the vulpine began to darken from the luscious red to a silky black. "Fox?" She said once more. Her heart began to beat fast. She could here the thumping in her ears. She looked closer; she saw the chest of the body rocking, as if it was breathing. Soon she could hear the sound of the corpse's breath, while the muzzle still pointed to the floor, looking lifeless. She spoke just above a whisper once more. "Fox? Fox please…"

She knew what to say. She knew what would awaken the sleeping beast. The blue vixen swallowed hard. "It's you." She nearly growled, "Syxx," not speaking as if it was a question but she spoke as it identified him and she knew who it was.

The vulpine quickly shot his muzzle upward, with a quick exhale and snarling bark.

**

* * *

****X****

* * *

**

Krystal jumped and gasped as she awoke on the cold floor of the Ocean Force Point Temple. The vixen's stomach was filled with butterflies, and her fists were clenched tightly while in a cold sweat. Her minds eyes still filled with the image of the vulpine baring his pearly whites, excluding the single golden fang as the blood dripped out the side of his mouth, and his body as if ready to pounce upon her. His ears flattened to his skull, his nose wrinkled, and his eyes in angry slits.

It took a moment for her heart rate to calm back down, and her breath to slow. She looked around her. Two Slayers stood within the temple, while a half dozen other captive Cornerian soldiers remained around her. A few dead bodies were pilled in the corner. Flies began to surround and feast upon the dead soldiers. Soon the stench of rotting bodies would fill the temple.

She shuddered and gasped, as she saw a warrior stand above her. She tried to look away, but she met the familiar eyes of her… _love_. The one she wanted back. She met the eyes of Syxx, who looked down at her with an expressionless look glazed upon his face. "Now that I'm back, it's painfully clear that I'll be the one to take back the fear."

He didn't wait for her reply before he walked away. Not that she would have. Krystal couldn't do anything now. She folded her knees into her breast, her pearly eyes open and burning. Only one thought going through her head, repeating on a loop with another. "_I can't believe this is happening._" And Fox's words echoing in her skull. "_I gave you second life. You couldn't even give me a second chance."_

**

* * *

****X**

* * *

"How did you not know Sir!?!" Ramirez screamed into the hollow-system on the grounded Savage ship. He looked out the windows at the Marines and Commandos outside. They had found a good area to keep a stronghold against the Slayers. It was a hollow, with a few primitive buildings and structures. Some of the other soldiers had already spoken to the Earthwalkers and Thorntails that occupied the hollow. They were the ones that had sent the distress signal to Corneria.

"Colonel! I recommend that we abort the mission. This is pointless! This is suicide! We've already lost a third of our forces, and everyone here now has yet to even see a Slayer."

Colonel Harpers' head spun on the hollow-panel. "You will continue your fight Lieutenant. You still outnumber the Slayers five to one. Use it as you're advantage." With that the Colonel terminated the signal.

The officer smashed his helmet to the floor of the ship. "For f-ck sake!"

**

* * *

****X****

* * *

**

"Syxx, this is Reaver. I've tracked the soldiers. They've congregated at a hollow, North of the Claw."

"Reaver, hold back. Nearly all Slayer forces are en route to hollow. Hold position until we can take them all down. No stragglers running around. We'll be there in less then five minuets." The black fur repeated back into the radio.

The dark wolf smiled, now overlooking all the activity. "Five minuets to live huh? Back from the days of _Death Match_ there Syxx?"

Syxx smiled. He jumped, tossing his body into the air. He looked to the left and right of himself. Slayers jumped off the ground, and into the branches of trees, propelling them even higher and making them move even faster. Syxx laughed. "Haha, I guess so. See ya' soon Reaver." Syxx then opened a channel to all the Slayers. "Everyone. You know the rules of engagement. Officers alive. I have something in mind to show the Cornerian Military that we mean some serious business."

"Less then Sergeant ranks?" A Slayer by the name of _Bliss_ asked.

Syxx growled. He soared through the air, pulling the knife from its sheath, over his chest. He landed on the forest floor; his boots didn't even make a sound. He froze on all fours hugging the ground. "Expendable."

Three other Slayers repeated Syxx's movement, duplicating what he just did. They hit the ground without making even the most delicate of the foliage _snap_.

Cobalt looked through the woods. His attentive ears flickered within the Vortec as they listened. He knew they were near the site now. "Infantry spotted." He hissed lowly. "Taking them out. I'll do it quietly."

Syxx pulled back on the receiver of the weapon. The Mapaw pistol charged and the fission-fusion core polarized the next shot. "Doesn't matter. We're coming up on the site. Slayers." The black fox smiled. He knew that his army loved to hear the next statement. It made them all ruthless. "You are weapons free! Green light to engage the enemy!"

The onslaught would soon begin. It first came with a few shots from Cobalt. From there on in, the sounds of weapons fire could be heard all through the forests. Syxx bolted out from the tree line running. He found himself over a low cliff above Thorn Tail Hollow. His body flew through the air. Syxx smiled inside of his suit. He saw the tracers of heavy machinegun rounds track him as he was flying. He fired the Mapaw twice, locking his eyes onto a target; he turned his head and shot once more, before landing on the ground. He hadn't seen his shots hit the targets, but he knew that they did. He set his back to one of the few trees in the area.

Bullets showered the tree trunk around him. He took a calm breath. Syxx put his Mapaw across his chest. He slowly started to assemble a more powerful version. He could fell the tree begin the heat, and before long it caught fire. He sighed, tossing a plasma-frag grenade out form the side of his tree. The fire stopped for a split second, and he took his chance to jump. He fell behind a dead Thorntail that had already been killed in crossfire of the fight.

Pyro ran by the fox. "Kill!" he grinded his voice. He fired the weapon, and passed Syxx, getting deeper into the fight, and pushing their frontlines forward.

The black fox took a peak to the other side of the dead dinosaur that he hid behind. An enemy soldier ran at him, but fell to the ground. The black fur saw his knee blow out, as a heavy round slammed into it. The Marine screamed and rolled over onto his back in agony. He pointed an M27 at Syxx's head with one paw, holding it like a pistol. The black fox kicked the weapon away from his paw, and a quick slash across the neck ended it. Blood spilled across the grass.

Syxx saw Kyla. She peaked up over a rock, for less then a second, taking a shot with her sniper rifle, and taking cover once again before a flurry of plasma bolts found their way to her position. She moved her position slightly, finding a different spot where she wouldn't be picked off at. He smiled. He jumped up on top of the dead dinosaur. He could smell the stench of burning flesh as plasma rounds impacted the skin of the dead animal.

Syxx jumped, airborne once again. He set the weapon to his shoulder and fired at a soldier. The first two shots missed their mark, and the others impacted the ground around the barricades as he and his shots fell. Syxx shot the weapon over the barricade, keeping his _prey_ pinned. He advanced to the barricades, setting his back right to the silver barrier, while crouching. They hadn't noticed his advance. When the next Marine stood up to shoot, Syxx grabbed him by the neck, pulling his body over the blockade, and cutting open his throat all in one swift movement and in turn spilling blood onto his own lap.

Kyla eliminated the others, ready to jump him after he took their comrade. Syxx peaked over the barricade, spotting two more Marines. He clipped his gun onto his chest, where the Mapaw usually sat. He looked down at the freshly killed body. He utilized his strength, first lifting the body to his shoulders then over his head, and tossing the body. He watched it soar, landing limp next to the Marines. He knew how much of a fear factor this would emplace. He placed his knife in his right paw, crouching on all fours. He tensed his muscles, getting ready to pounce upon his prey. He took a breath and jumped.

The fox flew, and landed right where he wanted to. He jumped onto a soldier, setting him on his back. The vulpine grabbed his shoulders, flipping the Marine over himself, to protect himself from the plasma fire. With his own shear strength, Syxx lifted the Marine and himself to his feet, the hostage now had a knife to his neck, blocking Syxx from fire. He imagined the fear the Marine must have felt, first watching his comrade being pulled over the barricade, and moments later being tossed across the battlefield like a ragdoll. From there, being pounced on from three or four times his own jumping distance. It made Syxx's stomach lift and fill with butterflies just thinking about it. If Slayers withheld anything, it was fear factor.

Syxx locked onto another three Marines, pointing his weapon at him. Syxx smiled. "What are you going to do about it?"

He pulled Krystal's Staff from off of his back. He directed the pointed end of Krystal's Staff toward his adversaries. The end began to glow red. The weapon drew back into his arm, throwing the fireball off course. The staff shot the fireball with a wicked_ swoooosh._ He twirled the staff in one paw, still having his other arm wrapped around his hostage's neck.

The sight of the terror filled their eyes, especially at the site of this new weapon, and the events that had happened a few seconds earlier. The muzzles of their weapons drifted around, before they took off running back behind their front lines, toward the little defense that they had left. Only one of the three made it back to the next defensive line. Pyro and another Slayer had jumped the other two, quickly putting and end to their lives… the fight wasn't even fair.

Syxx spun the soldier he was holding around. He grabbed him by the neck, lifting him high into the air, above his head. The feline had the utmost look of fear upon his muzzle. He squirmed as he was held into the air. His lugs begged for air, while his throat seared. Syxx lifted him higher. He didn't have to wait long. It was just other moment before a heavy steel plasma round passed through his skull, unleashing a wave of blood and small bone and tissue fragments over his paw. Syxx tossed his limp body, it landed with the crunch of broken bones.

Syxx flicked his paw, removing some of the blood. "Good job on not blowing off my hand." He spoke into the radio.

Even though he couldn't see Kyla or her face, he knew that she was smiling. "Always watching you, Syxx."

He now smiled. "Creepy."

"You love it."

**

* * *

****X****

* * *

**

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

"No! No! Behind that tree!"

"Yeah! Yeah! That's it!"

The Marines fought for their lives. Their already dwindled forces were no match for the array of the Slayer army.

"Sir!" A Cornerian Commando ran around the corner of the Savage. "We've got to get out of here. At this rate, the Slayers are going to take over the whole stronghold in…" he trailed off and paused. "I don't know… a half hour… less."

The ground trebled, and a haze of smoke clouded over the rear of the dropship, soon clearing away from the Savage in the breeze.

Another officer agreed. "We can round up our forces. We can run into the woods and regroup."

Ramirez shook his head, putting his paw over his eyes. "We can't run from the Slayers, and we can't hide. We have to take them down." He looked up uttered a shallow smile, one of the few knowing they had not a chance of victory. He grabbed a rifle off the clip of the Savage. He passed it off to an officer. "You remember how to use one of these?"

The soldiers ran out of the Pelican to rejoin their forces. The barricades around the ships soon filled with troops that have fallen back.

The Lieutenant took cover on a barricade next to a fox. Stray plasma bolts burned past them. "Sergeant! What's our status?"

"I don't f-ck-ng know! They keep advancing! Every time anyone pokes their heads out to return fire, they see us first!" The fox quickly popped up from the cover. He only got to shoot the M27 twice before a powerful round struck an edge of his helmet. The impact nearly knocked him over. The fox crouched again. "F-ck-ng h-ll!" He tossed the helmet aside. The red fox's fur was singed, and his ear burnt, the pain swelled out by anger.

A hound next to the Lieutenant armed a plasma fragmentation grenade. The pin fell to the grass. "Frag o-" A heavy steal plasma round passed clean through his neck. Blood painted the hull of the Savage next to the mark the Mapaw round made. The hound didn't move until two more bolts punched through him. One passed through his heart and the other tore off the soldiers jaw.

"Grenade!!" A commando screamed.

Everyone within the splash range leaped. A flurry of shrapnel and blood filled the air. Pyro turned over on his back. Another explosion filled the atmosphere, and from above the deafening and yet familiar cry of the F1 Hook Echo's rang from overhead, and flared through his line of sight, leaving a path of clear whiteness. The raccoon looked over the silver barricades. The bolts slowed from their airborne flashes and measured, now idling through the air around him.

He turned his head to look over the silver barricade. A silvery figure jumped over the cover. The Sergeant he was just talking to pointed a gun at its head, but it moved to fast. The Slayer wrapped the fox's arm and weapon under his shoulder, and delivered one quick hit the head, bringing the vulpine down, a spray off blood, yet still left un-lethal.

The Slayer pointed the weapon at Ramirez. "There's a familiar face. Haha." He laughed sinisterly.

The raccoon coughed. He looked at the shoulder plate on the Vortec armoring. He recognized the number. "Reaver."

"Looks like you're on the receiving end this time. Haha… Syxx is going to _love_ this." The wolf looked around. "I guess that's it for your little army." He spoke into the radio inside the Vortec leaving the his voice to the outside and his speakers open. "Syxx." He looked down upon the officer. "I have someone here who is just dying to meet you."

"Is that figurative, or would that just happen to be literal? Hah. We'll be there in a second; we're just doing a final clean up." Ramirez heard the sound of and explosion through the radio first, and less then a half second later, he heard the very same one ring out from somewhere within the hollow.

"Yes Sir." The wolf replied.

Ramirez tried to laugh. "I don't suppose that I'd be honored with the commandment of _Sir_, would I now?"

Reaver smiled. He reached down to the coon's side. He pulled the Blaster from his holster, using too much force and snapping the buckle, making the officer yelp. The wolf pointed it to his head, and cocked the weapon. With a slight of paw, he flipped the weapon around, now with the end toward himself and the butt toward Ramirez.

The wolf laughed evilly. "It's not too late." He motioned two claw tips toward the underside of his own chin and flicked his thumb.

"Suicide?" he said with astonishment.

The wolf took off his helmet now showing the extent of his evil. "Beats the h-ll out of facing Syxx."

"He wouldn't kill his maker."

Reaver laughed. "Lylat has to be scared of something. In times of peace, I think Syxx will be the one taking back the fear." He paused. "Everything happens for a reason."

The Lieutenant considered it for a moment, before a crashing force came down upon his paw. He screamed in pain, and endured the last of the torment, or so he thought, until the weight on his single paw shifted, and spun. He felt his knuckles cracking, and he bit his lip to keep from yelling at the top of his lungs and containing the pain. With another force, the Blaster in his paw was kicked from his other paw, making the whole arm feel numb from the initial shock alone, both his paws burned.

A Slayer appeared into his line of sight. The worst one of them all. Syxx. The black and white fox grinned, showing the gleaming fang. "Lieutenant."

The coon just nodded.

Syxx huffed, and turned toward Reaver. "The Blaster?"

"If he hasn't already done it, I don't think he's going to. No point shooting at us either." The wolf looked down. "I think he knows that."

The vulpine nodded. "Right." He held and empty paw out toward Cobalt. It was filled with a small black pistol. Syxx loaded the weapon with its proper ammunition. He pulled back the receiver, and without another thought, he shot the weapon into the torso of the officer with a short_ pffft_.

Ramirez yelped and rapidly pulled a small dart out of his fur. The effects of the weapon began to take effect on him immediately. He felt as if all the blood in his body had gone directly to his head. Every limb began to numb and heavy, and he knew nothing but weakness.

Syxx tossed the weapon onto the coon's chest. "You remember these, you f-ck-ng j-cka-s?"


	40. Slaying Silence

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXX**

**Slaying Silence

* * *

**

_Another day it's taunted,  
Another day you're haunted,  
Something you wanted,  
Forgot it,_

_Another day you're feeling,  
Another day I'm healing,  
Something you started,  
Forgot it,_

_Chains holding names,  
Torment and shame,  
Is this the same?  
Distant from rain,  
You got it!_

_I'll paint the perfect picture,  
You're tooth is in my hand,  
The rest just keep on laughing,  
Why can't you understand?_

_Nothing is Perfect Season,  
Spontaneous demons breathing,  
This is something you don't expect,_

**INDEX CASE **_**– "Perfect Season"

* * *

**_

The world was a grey place for Ramirez. The sights and sounds of Sauria drifted in and out. He had once looked up to the bright and blue sky on the alien planet, only moments later to see a beautiful red vixen above him, dressed in an armored smile, lift the butt of a long weapon and slam it down onto his head. He felt his neck jerk, himself gasp, and his ears ring. Another time when he awoke, he saw the bodies of his Marines and Commandos being loaded into the back of a silver and blue Savage dropship. It didn't take him long to black out once again. His brain pounded against the walls of his skull, even within his unconsciousness.

And soon he heard voices, as if they were in the distance. "_They're waking up. That's it, Ramirez is the last one."_

"_Someone go get Syxx." _The voices drew closer to him.

The coon opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the ground, until he looked up. He was on his knees, overlooking a beautiful bay. He was affront the entrance of the Ocean Force Point Temple, on the old stone docks. He had nearly smiled for a moment, before he was spun by a powerful force to point the other way, now looking toward the large mouth of the Krazoa carving. He had noticed that to his left and right, there were about five soldiers lined up to the left and right of him. He looked to his right, seeing the fox sergeant he was speaking to earlier glance at him. His ear remained burned, and blood trickled down his muzzle to his cheek, slowly dripping to the stone dock. He breathed heavily, panting.

The officer looked to his left. On his left there was a young blue vixen. He didn't recognize her. Her short tied back hair exposed her blue shoulders, and nearly bare body, only clad in skimpy, yet beautifully indigenous armor. She too took one look at him, and quickly turned away, letting a tear drop to the stone from her moonlike eyes. The Lieutenant was otherwise confused of her presence. All of the survivors remained on their knees.

The raccoon looked up, after he heard the metallic sweep of a knife. He felt the sharp tip of a blade dig into the fur underneath his chin, causing him to look up even further and where he met the eyes of Syxx. The black vulpine uttered a timid smile toward him, before he dropped the knife. "A preemptive strike, Lieutenant, is an act of war."

The coon coughed. "It wasn't my decision to-"

"Of course it wasn't." Syxx cut him off. "It was the _pencil pusher _Harper, wasn't it? He has no idea what its like to fight in a real war."

The raccoon bared his teeth. "Don't you dare say that! You know d-mn well as I do he fought in the Aparoidian Conflict!"

Syxx bared his teeth. Krystal could sense massive amounts of anger being generated from this being witch sparked around him. She was the only one who knew that he had destroyed the Aparoids. She could sense him about to snap, and about to kill. She closed one eye, peeking through the other, and Syxx looked down at her, with his ears flat against his skull. She took a deep shuddering breath, looking away. His ears rose again.

Syxx motioned a paw toward a Slayer in full armor. The armored Lylatian nodded, and in a moment ten Slayers stepped forward. Each one taking a place in front of one of the survivors, and they all lifted a weapon to each and ever single one of the survivors… including Krystal. She found herself staring down the barrel of Mapaw.

Syxx marched around affront of all his hostages. "Slayers. We have been blessed with a gift. We are the most powerful race among that stars. I don't speak withholding propaganda. I don't have to convince any single one of you that this honor is what we all merit. We have become such a threat that the Cornerian entity has sent forces to silence us. A preemptive strike is an act of war." The fox looked down toward the raccoon. "If you want war… you've got it."

"Corneria has never provoked a conflict."

"Well that's all about to change." Syxx lifted his pistol to Ramirez's head. The raccoon, had time to look at the fox sergeant before Syxx sounded. "Slayers… to the night."

The Lieutenant heard the clap the Slayer's Mapaws all around him in time with drowned and muzzled screams of dismay. He heard the sound of bodies falling limp. He opened his eyes, just a crack to see Syxx's weapon still pointed at his head… while it glowed, before he slowly lowered it. His eyes drifted slowly to his right. He saw a line of dead bodies, with Slayers still in front of them. Blood was gathering on the stone, before it trickled its way to the edge and down into the ocean below.

Ramirez swore to himself in a whisper. "Sh-t." He still knew that Syxx could hear him.

The coon then drifted his eyes to his other side. He saw the same thing… except for one thing different. The blue vixen he wondered about earlier remained alive along with him. The Slayer assailant still pointed the weapon at her head. He waited for the shot, before the weapon was lowered. The only two survivors now being himself, and the strange blue fox.

Ramirez snared. "I taught you all to kill."

Syxx began to speak again. "You showed us how to harness the ability, we all knew how to. We sharpened our own edges."

Ramirez spoke looking toward the stone. "You can't hope to defeat the entire army. I trained you. I know what you can and can't do. And by yourselves, you can't do it."

The black vulpine looked overhead. He heard the screeching of a ship. It was a Savage. Syxx closed his eyes. Krystal watched the wind blow through his silky black fur, making it wave. The Slayer pointed his muzzle to air, while his eyes remained closed. "We were trained alone. Now that were together, it's different."

The Savage slowly lowered itself into the bay, where the stern spun around toward the dock. The large blast door swung down and opened. The troop bay was littered with bodies of the dead. The ship idled in the air, before a Slayer stepped out, putting the ship on autopilot. It hovered. The Slayer jumped out.

Syxx shifted his head forward, telling Ramirez to get into the dropship. Syxx looked at Krystal. "You too."

The vixen stared up at him in shock and anger. "You're a traitor." She whispered.

Syxx nudged the other Slayer aside, now standing right in front of Krystal, who was on her knees as if she was bowing to her master. Syxx bared a gold tooth. "I'm not the traitor."

She stared up at him, into his green eyes, recognizing them. "You lie, you-"

He smirked. "Another day you're feeling, is just another day I'm healing something you started, now forget it."

"I know you feel torment and shame."

Syxx gazed at the vixen, past her eyes and into her soul. He knew she was no better. "Is it the same?" Of the two of them, he was the only one comfortable enough to smile.

"You're weak."

Some of the Slayers chuckled at the blue vixen.

"Why can't you understand? Nothing is perfect season." Syxx turned from her, and backed away. "Kyla."

Krystal gasped. The warrior that stood in front of her dropped her weapon to her side and lifted Krystal. The blue fox gasped and choked before she was forcibly placed into the back of the Savage.

The coon jumped in beside her. "What's the purpose of sparing her?"

Syxx spun around. He handed the Lieutenant a black box, he then stepped over to the blue fur and handed the vixen her staff back. He looked Krystal dead in the eye while he spoke to Ramirez. "Open the box Lieutenant." He still stared directly at Krystal, wearing her down. He waited until he started looking through the photos. "Over two years ago, Fox McCloud… leader of the Starfox team was killed. They found out who did it, but never found her." He spoke still looking at the vixen. "Krystal was found guilty of killing Fox McCloud… but she was never convicted because no one knew where she was. This is Krystal… the murderer of Captain McCloud."

The vixen's heart raced. She wanted to say something to defend herself, but there was nothing to say. No one here would believe her. They would just think she was crazy.

The coon glanced at her, then turning back to Syxx.

The vulpine grinned. "You have fifteen seconds to get off my planet before my ships open fire on you."

The black fur turned away before Ramirez could say anything. The raccoon stumbled past the dead bodies toward the cockpit of the ship.

Syxx watched the ship flutter, before it took off down the bay, and into the blue sky, soon disappearing. The Slayers all watched the ship leave.

Kyla turned to Syxx. She took off her helmet, taking a deep breath. "You don't think that was a little bit harsh?"

Syxx looked into the sky, emotionlessly. "It was necessary."

"You really think so?"

_Theo_ turned to the red vixen and nodded. "Syxx is right. We have to ensure that the Cornerian Military knows what we are capable of."

Syxx turned his back, and now looked to Kyla. "The sooner Lylat knows of the Slayers. The sooner they know their future masters."

"So we're really going to do it?" Kyla asked, she half smirked, content.

"I've been a slave to Lylat for too long. They don't have a defense anymore. They no longer have the power to keep us silent."

"Syxx… you can't expect us to take on the entire Cornerian Space Naval Fleet, and Force divisions."

"I don't."

"Well then?"

"I have a plan. We need help."

"Hmm…"

"This is something they don't expect."

**

* * *

X

* * *

**

Krystal sat quietly in the ship. The two survivors cutoff the doors to the enclosed deceased in the troop bay of the Savage to get away form the smell of death, now lingering. The vixen sat in the copilot seat of the bird now. She tried to remain silent, but still wanted to talk. She wanted to defend herself and her position… but who would believe her after years of running from her past? She looked into the emptiness of space… looking at all the stars.

"So… then it's true." Ramirez flipped through the photos, having the ship on autopilot for the last few hours anyways.

Krystal held in her breath. She tried to speak as if she was strong, but her voice still vocalized a shuddering effect. "It's not what you think." She didn't look at him, in fears it would cause herself to cry.

"Well, you just happen to be the only blue fox in the galaxy. I can't see any other explanation."

She laughed dryly, letting a tear escape. "You seem to be working pretty hard to prosecute me so fast."

"You killed Fox McCloud! No one could do what he's done! It's the days were living in now that we need a team like Starfox! _Star Falco_ just isn't cutting it."

Krystal snapped back. "I never killed Fox! It was never proven! They have no hard evidence! The citizens just needed condolence! I'm innocent! You and I both know it!"

"That's not for me to decide." The raccoon said calmly.

Krystal felt the energy coming off him, and she read his mind. She spoke back, rumbling. "And yet you've made your choice! If I…" she trailed off. "Agh! Never mind! You wouldn't believe me anyway! I know the military minds like yours. They are all the same. They all just follow orders. You just can't think for yourself anymore can you?"

"Alright." He spun around in his chair. "Try me."

"It doesn't matter. You won't believe me."

The raccoon growled. "Fine. You don't wanna' tell me. Then don't. I don't care if-"

"Fox isn't dead!!" Krystal cut him off. It was silent. A shallow whine of the engines was all that could be heard.

"Everyone in Corneria City saw the flaming ball of wreckage that flew through the sky. We heard his voice on the ship! His body was burned to ashes." He narrowed his eyes. "Just like you wanted."

Krystal swallowed hard, banishing the thought from her head. "He isn't dead."

The coon slapped his paws down to his side. "Alright then! Enlighten me!"

"The one you call, _Syxx_. What do you know of him?"

"The same thing the rest of founders of Slayer know. Almost nothing."

"You couldn't run DNA tests? You couldn't do a retinal scan?"

The raccoon paused. "We couldn't withhold any of that information. We just identify them with numbers. If the military enclosed any of that data, and it was hacked, it could have blown the program wide open to the public. Not a single iota of information on Slayer can be stored digitally, its all in hard copy, paper, and photos. Except for all the files that are backed up on a memory drive. Every computer document and every email message that has anything to do with a Slayer is deleted." He paused once again. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you about this. This is classified!"

"If you would have just checked… you would have known. You would have known that Syxx isn't who he appears to be… Syxx… he's Fox McCloud."

The raccoon looked strait at her. "That isn't for me to decide. Take it up with the General."

**

* * *

X

* * *

**

Peppy leaned back in his chair. His ever growing frail bones denied him the strength and the flexibility to put his feet on the top of his desk. He pawed through some of the documents he held. Honestly, he knew very little about this project Slayer, besides being the one who had authorized it and having inspected the squadron a few times in the past years. To the extent of his knowledge now, there was something seriously wrong with the trainees that had been a part of the program. He only knew that Special Forces had been sent to neutralize the AWOL on the controversial entity of Sauria.

He jumped at the sound of the intercom going off. The female cat receptionist at the front desk outside of his office, and a couple floors below, spoke. "Mister Hare."

The hare tapped the button on the hallow-pad. "Yes Kate?"

"There are two personal here to see you."

"I'm very busy at the moment. Tell them to come back later."

"I would, but they're telling me that it's very urgent, and is approved by Colonel Harper as a red code. And Sir… one of them is named _Krystal_."

Peppy looked up toward the closed door in front of him. "I'm sorry Kate, did you say Krystal?"

"Yes Sir."

Peppy paused. "Send in Lieutenant Paul Ramirez. Instruct Krystal to wait outside until I'm finished."

"Yes Sir."

Peppy's stomach was full of butterflies. In just a few moments, the automatic door parted from the center out. A raccoon stepped in, and made his way to Peppy's desk in his office. The hare stood up, to greet the coon. The coon saluted, and the hare returned the gesture.

"Sir!" Ramirez yipped.

"At ease Lieutenant. Have a seat."

"Thank you Sir."

"I thought I best hear the news from someone who had actually been on mission first hand, then having reports filed. Where's the rest of your squadron?"

The raccoon didn't waste any time. He cut to the chase. "I'm the only one left Sir."

"Excuse me?"

"I was the only one who survived Sir. The Slayers killed everyone… everyone else."

Peppy coughed. "No… you must be mistaken."

"I wish I was. Colonel Harper caused the death of all my forces. He headed Slayer… but he knew very little of their ability. He wasn't the one who should have led the Slaying Silence Operation."

"You would have been more qualified?"

"With all due respect to Harper, yes I would have."

The hare put up his paw. "Enough. From what I understand the mission was a failure. How many Slayers were neutralized?"

Ramirez mouth opened his mouth. He sighed, slowly shook his head, and shrugged. "I don't know."

"I'll see you commendation for your sacrifice Lieutenant. The Medal of Honor."

The coon snapped back. "No! I don't deserve any praise for my mission. I didn't escape from the planet, I was spared."

"Why were you spared?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Someone had to strike fear into the heart of Corneria. Someone had to deliver the message." With that remark, the raccoon stood and headed for the door.

"Take as much time for leave as you must Paul. I will have Harper take care of your hours." The hare didn't stop him. He let him go. The hare put his paw down on the hollow-pad. "Kate, please send in Miss Krystal."

"Right away Mr. Hare."

Peppy tapped a pen in his paw, down onto his desk. He waited for the doors to open once more. He wondered if it were the same Krystal. In his head he highly doubted it. Thoughts ran through his mind. He wondered. "_Chrystal…? Cristal maybe. It couldn't be the Krystal that I'm thinking of._"

He didn't even noticed when the door opened a voice came through his quiet office, making his ears twitch. "Yes Peppy… it's… me."

The hare moved his eyes toward the open doorway, he saw the familiar blue vixen. He slowly bobbed his head. "I thought it might be."

Krystal smiled out of the corner of her mouth. "I know."

Peppy hesitated for a moment. "Please come in Krystal. Have a seat."

Krystal abided by the instructions given. She wondered why Peppy was so hospitable. She stepped up to his desk. She held her tail at her side, and took a seat. She played with the white tip, prying the hair apart from itself nervously, as she sat in front of the General, and someone who was once her friend, and very well a father to Fox. She remembered the first time she saw the old and ever ageing man aboard the Greatfox. She kept tab with her minds-eye on what was going around in the man's head. He seamed very calm, and it made her feel very safe, safer then she had in years. She began to play her tail less.

Krystal spoke the first words. "I'm not here why you think I am."

Peppy's friendly figure suddenly turned sour. "Then why are you here then?" the lupine stood. "Why have you returned?"

Krystal tried to keep her own ground. "If it were up to me, I wouldn't be here." She remained calm but stern.

"No one wants to be seated in front of a General."

Krystal spoke through a clamped jaw. "I didn't kill him."

"It's not that I'm concerned about right now."

Krystal sneered. "Cordial places are becoming hard to come by."

"Then Sauria would have been the only planet that would have been hospitable enough for you to take refuge on then."

"I was forced to Sauria." She growled. "I had no other choice."

Peppy sat down in his chair. "You turned your back on Starfox, Krystal. And, you turned your back on me, and you turned your back on Fox."

Krystal tried to keep herself calm. "Fox turned his back on me. Fox forced me to resign."

"Only to protect you! I admit, he may have been overprotective at sometimes, but that's only because he has lost so many that were close to him. I should expect you to understand out of anyone. He wanted to protect what little he had left. Krystal… he only wanted you to be safe. He only wanted you to be safe because he loved you. He was the one who went to Sauria to rescue you. _He gave you second life. You couldn't even give him a second chance._"

Krystal felt completely crushed. She couldn't believe it. She thought of words to say. She tried to speak. She never thought of it that deeply before. The little blue vixen tried to defend herself, but there was nothing that she could say. There was no way to defend herself now. She was certain now, that she was indeed the traitor.

Peppy leaned back into his chair. "In the Anglian Conflict, Fox asked for your help. He asked of you to return to Starfox… but you never did. You never could forgive him for what he did. And now that he's dead, you'll feel an empty hole forever."

Krystal saw a tear form behind the old man's glasses. She spoke the first words that came into her head. "Peppy… I'm _so_ sorry."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to."

Krystal let her head droop; now looking down at her own sandals. "I know. But… it's not too late."

"I'm afraid it is." Peppy replied.

"No, it's not Peppy. You don't understand like I do." Krystal looked up, and stared him in the eye. "It's not too late."

"What exactly are you saying Krystal?"

"He's not dead."

Peppy froze for a moment. He thought Krystal was going crazy, or had already gone insane in a path of permanent denial.

"I'm not insane, and I'm not in denial of his death, General." Krystal plucked the thoughts from his head. "I know everyone thinks he's dead, but he isn't."

Peppy leaned back into his chair once more. He put his paw tips together, thinking, and knowing that Krystal was going through every thought in his head. He knew he couldn't hide his mind from her. He knew she could always sense it. He reached into the top drawer in his white desk. He pulled out a document, and passed it to Krystal.

She took the paper. "What is this?" She asked.

"Falco and I both agreed that this would become of you in the event that you returned. I'm offering you a spot on Star Falco, with his team."

Krystal's ears wilted. "You don't believe me."

He ignored her. "This is a one time offer. You must decide now. I recommend that you join."

"Tell me why then. Why are you allowing me to join Falco's Team?"

"Look." The old man paused. "I know as well as you do, that you didn't kill Fox. Falco knows it, all of the former team knows it. Though I seem upset with you… I still trust you. I trust you enough and know that you need somewhere to belong right now."

"I'd love to Peppy, but-"

"Don't turn your back on me again Krystal."

She could then see that he wasn't going to take _no_ for an answer. She then slowly nodded her head. "I'll do it Peppy."

"Good. I'll have a shuttle ready to pick you up within the hour. I'll ensure that your belongings are returned to you as well Krystal."

"Thank you Peppy… but why are you doing this for me? Why are you giving me a place to belong?"

He stood up from his chair. He turned around to look out his window to the sky. "It's not because of me. It's in honor of Fox. It's what he would want."


	41. What You Yesterday Challenged

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XXXXI**

**What You Yesterday Challenged

* * *

**

"_Unusual here breathing,  
Inviting the silence,_

_But you're not here,  
You're nowhere near at all,  
Just skin and atmosphere,  
And if it's what you wanted,  
Better get out now,  
Alone it takes me,  
Underneath it'll surely break me."_

**36 CRAZYFISTS – **_**"Skin and Atmosphere"

* * *

**_

Paul Ramirez was seated in his desk. He poured himself another glass of scotch. The colored alcohol rolled over the ice into the crystal glass. He set down the glass bottle next to his computer. He looked around his dark office. The only thing that lit the dark room was his computer and the dim plasmatic lamp that sat on his desk. It was late at night.

The raccoon placed the glass to his lips and slowly sipped at the scotch. He then set the glass down. The mammal opened up the internet browser on his computer. He navigated toward his search engine. He quickly pawed into the empty box "_Project Slayer"_ and pressed_ enter._ The screen turned white, before it came to results. The page read "_0 results to display for 'Project Slayer'"._

The raccoon fell back into his chair with a huge sigh of relief. He gazed down at the glass of scotch in his paw. He ran a claw tip around the glass. He already knew that he had too much. He shot his glance up at the door to his office as it hissed open. An orange feline appeared in the door way, merely as a silhouette.

Ramirez smiled. "Don't expect a warm reception Colonel."

"I would at least show my commanding officer a sense of respect then."

"My commanding officer doesn't know the first thing about respect. Now I'd offer you a drink but, why waste such a fine drink on a man who hasn't enough deference to enjoy it?" The raccoon paused. "You knew the Slayers would turn on us."

"I knew no such thing. I had higher hopes on the trackers to keep them in place."

"The trackers just made it so we knew where they were. They didn't help us control them. They were just marked with a number. And on top of that, we know where they are. That's not the problem."

Harper began to walk into the raccoon's office. "They were built too strong… and too smart. I had nothing to do with them going AWOL. Once they got strong enough they were already smart enough to know, that needn't take orders from Cornerian Command. They have no weaknesses…" the feline trailed off.

"And Syxx…" The Lieutenant paused once again. "The only answer I can think is to photon Sauria." Paul set his glass down.

"The destruction of a whole planet is excessive."

"Corneria has enough photonic weapons to dust the Saurian surface."

"The Slayers were marked in design to cleanse the system of rebels, and stop in the destruction. It would be awfully hypocritical to destroy Sauria to save Corneria."

The coon cut him off. "To save the rest of the Lylat System!"

"No one would go for it Lieutenant, and no one would understand. We can't hide the whole destruction of a planet from the public. The flare could be seen across Lylat."

"Syxx very well has the power to mobilize with these rebel forces and organize them in a way to tear apart the Cornerian Military." Said Ramirez.

"We have to-"

Paul arched his back up in his chair. "Don't you see? There's nothing we can do! The Slayers are loose and it's only a matter of time before they become a major threat to Cornerian wellbeing."

"Star Falco-"

"Star Falco isn't the answer to anything! Starfox maybe… but Falco is just a ploy. They're just something to fill the gap that citizens felt loss. Nothing more."

"Don't be so sure. An old member of the Starfox team has been commissioned to work aboard the team. Star Falco has the power."

"Sir, it's not me who you have to convince… it's the General. Even Starfox didn't have to power to fight the Slayers."

"I can convince him to do that… once I portray to him the conflict." The feline stood and turned toward the door.

"Say and do what you want. I don't want anything to do with it."

The cat took a few more steps and stopped, still looking toward the door as he spoke. "What do you mean by that Lieutenant?"

The raccoon leaned back, crossing his arms. "As of yesterday, Corneria is at war. You and I both know it." He paused, as Kole Harper spun around to look at him. He waited for a moment longer. "The Slayers won't stop until they win… or they're dead. And it's a war I fear we've already lost."

"A few dozen warriors can't take down a whole system." Harper remained silent for a moment, he turned. "I will submit your concern to the General."

_**

* * *

X

* * *

**_

Krystal felt her palms sweating. She clenched them and loosened them. Her heart was racing. She could feel the pounding of her blood through her head. The occasion that had once felt welcoming, now had her under complete tension. She watched the massive doors of the Greatfox open to the hanger that sat above the powerful engines of the flagship. The hanger at the bow of the ship, below the guns was usually reserved for the fighters, which were often Arwings, as she suspected they still were… Awing II's. She had left her Cloudrunnner on the face of Sauria… not by her choice of course.

All she had was a small box, which held most of her belongings, including her indigenous wear. It was back to her blue and black flight suit. She let down her hair, setting some of the longer strands in front of her eyes, trying to hide them the best she could.

The fox felt the craft shake as it landed and pulled into the hanger. The blast doors shut behind the craft, as it set down. The air around her hissed as the hanger pressurized.

The pilot in the front of the Savage looked back at her through a dark and tinted eye shield. "This is it." He watched her as she got up and headed for the door. "Oh, and try to stay out of trouble, shall we?"

"F-ck off." She hissed.

The pilot laughed and shut the door behind him. She made her way to the doors in front of herself, at the back of the hanger. The blue Cerinian stepped through the doors into the small room. She watched the next set of doors, right in front of her nose. She heard the small room _hiss_ just before the doors in front of her opened. She took a deep breath. Waiting.

The doors parted from the center, and out to the sides. In front of her she saw three people, and she found herself face to face with Falco Lombardi. She kept a steady look upon her muzzle, almost as much as a glare. She could read the thoughts of the bird, knowing what he was going to say. She spoke cutting him off just as he uttered the first word of his remark.

"Save it." She snapped. "I don't wanna' hear it Falco."

"Heh." The bird grinned. "Just as stubborn as you've always been. Not that it's a characteristic that this team lacks but… you'll fit right in here Krystal."

"Just… show me to my room. That's all I want."

"Whoa! Now!" The bird laughed, putting his wing over her shoulder. "Just hold on! Wouldn't you love to meet you're team-mates?"

The vixen stared the two other Lylatians over. "I'd be thrilled." She said sarcastically.

He motioned with his wing to the members of his team. "I'm sure you remember Katt."

"Of course." Krystal shook her head and looked now towards the other.

"This is _Dash Bowmen_." Falco smiled and nodded. He half whispered in the vixen's ear. "Grandson of Andross. You know, still a little young, but in time, he might even be able to take on me."

"You know Falco." Said Dash, degrading his appearance. "You don't have to go around telling everyone that I'm directly related to Andross. It kinda makes them think I'm… you know… kinda weird… or evil."

Krystal looked at the young ape in a silver flight suit. What looked like steal flares flashed out from his shoulders which then looked down to his tall, white gloves, which all set over his blackish flight suite. But she didn't care how the ape looked; it was more what he thought. She could tell that he thought very highly of himself, and had acknowledged his grandfathers death. Another part of her could tell that he had thought very highly of Fox before he _passed away_.

The vixen nodded. "Any other buddies you want me to meet?"

"What?" Falco chuckled. "Too good for us now?"

"Just… show me to my room Falco."

"You remember your way around the ship. It's the same room as you were in before, luckily."

She nodded and headed off to reflect on her thoughts. The vixen walked down the silvery-grey halls of the flagship. The fox could hear the already far off but echoing voices which composed mostly of Falco, whose voice resonated through the halls of the ship.

"_Loud mouth._" She thought to herself. "_Never knows when to shut his big fat beak._"

The vixen got closer to her room. She approached the door. The fox was just about to put her paw down on the key pad, when the doors lashed open. It made her jump backwards. She looked into the dark room of the ship. She looked out the windows of her room into the big blue eye of the planet Corneria.

She took a step into the dark room. "Hello?"

The fur on the back of her neck stood on end as the lights quickly faded in and a voice reverberated through her room. "Voice key recognized. Welcome Krystal." It was the voice of Rob.

The vixen looked around the room and muttered to herself. "The ship must have under gone some upgrades." Her head spun round. She recognized many of the aspects of the room. It looked like her same bed which she often found too large for herself as well as too lonely. She recognized her nightstands, mirror and desk as well.

The vixen closed her eyes, after looking to the corner of her mirror. The photo that she had tucked into the corner of the mirror of Fox McCloud so many years ago was still there. She moved closer to it, and brushed off the thick layer of dust that had accumulated on the photo alone. Everything else in the room smelled clean and looked that way as well, except for the picture that remained untouched. Krystal peeked in all of the drawers. It seamed everything was in its place, just as it had been when she left.

The blue fur sat down in the chair affront her desk. She looked at herself in the mirror for a few moments before she turned away, not baring to even view the sight of herself in the place again… in the place again without Fox. She sat again inviting the silence. She stared at the photo. He wasn't here, and nowhere near at all. It was just herself, and the air around her. She began to question her position on Star Falco. Her mind kept bringing her back to seeing Fox die at the hands of Syxx, and alone it would take him. She wondered how much longer she had… and yet she couldn't do anything… not yet.

She set the black box on the table, opening it. She laid out all the photos of her and Fox or of Fox alone. One by one, she flipped them over, reading what was on the back of the cards. One had been severely burnt before she was able to retrieve it from the fire, during her contact with Syxx. She read the message once more after it was all pieced together. Though she had remembered it well, she liked to see it spread out in front of her. It gave her powerful mind a chance to see what has become.

_With Arms made of steal,  
How can you feel?  
Life so surreal,  
You keep up,  
Oh you keep up,_

_Oh you Armageddon Soul,  
Armageddon Soul,  
Breath just let it go,  
Armageddon Soul,_

Most of it was still confusion to her, even thought she had gained some understanding. Even after meeting Syxx for the first time, it was still fairly vague. She wished some day she could have him submit to her again. She wanted to have him within her power again. She still had a scrap to settle with him. But then there was the other side of it too… she had been caught within the powerful mind of Syxx as well. She knew the strength he possessed, and she also knew that the one that had once known as Fox McCloud, still ran loose in his mind. Krystal knew that she needed to help him… but there was little she could do to get past the destructive power on the rough outside. The alternative had gotten her nowhere either. She had to become even stronger with her already harnessed mental capacity to break the chains of Syxx's powerful metal cultivability. Once she could do that… it would be all over. She could exploit the weakness that all Cornerians possessed. If she could break him...

She folded the photos over each other all in one swipe, taking them off the desk. As much as she hated it to tell herself it, her sixth sense wasn't strong enough. Over the years of hatred and conclusion, it had built his mental defense. She needed a way to get her mind stronger.

Krystal leaned back further into her chair and she thought to herself. "_I only see what he wants me to see…"_ Her thought trailed away. She knew that there was so much more there.

Krystal knew that compared to some of the elders of Cerinia, her mental power was merely normal. There was so much more for her to learn before her planet was destroyed. She had even heard of Cerinians powerful enough to move objects with the strength of their telepathy alone. She herself had tried a few times herself, but never got any results. It was hard, and most of the time, she was just simply too impatient, but it seemed that she had all the time in the world now.

Maybe she would try again… she had to start small. A leaf or a piece of paper. She thought of Falco. "_Or... a feather._"

The vixen jumped up from the chair. The door opened as she neared it. She knew that in times like these, there were most likely two places that Falco would be. He would either be in his room, or in the lounge of the Great Fox, having a drink. She peeked her head into the door of the lounge. It looked much the same, except for some upgrades and some minor remodeling. She stepped into the room, and before she even noticed the presence of anyone, a voice spoke out.

"Can I offer you a drink Krystal?"

The voice startled her, and she snapped her neck toward the bar. "Oh!" It was Katt. "No thank you Katt, I – I don't really drink." A lie since she left Starwolf.

"Anything else then? A water or a soft drink?"

Krystal thought for only a moment. "Maybe just a water… please."

The feline smiled. "All right then."

Krystal took one last look around the room before she approached the cat. "Where's Falco?"

"In his room, but he should be out shortly." The feline put the glass of water on the table.

"Thank you for your hospitality. It's been a long time since anyone has ever treated me so well. And I'm sorry for being upset earlier too."

"It's fine Krystal." The pink feline tried to keep smiling. "I'm sure this place can bring back some pretty horrible memories."

Krystal rubbed her paw across her forehead. "Like you would never believe. I just have some questions. Who exactly is this Dash, anyways?"

Katt rested her forearms on bar. "He's exactly who Falco says he is."

"He's really Andross's Grandson?"

"That's right. But I don't think it bothers him. He's a pretty smart kid, you know, mechanically, and stuff like that. He thought pretty highly of Fox too."

Krystal interrupted. "I could sense that."

"He is small, but don't let it underestimate him, Dash is a good pilot, and with a little bit more practice he's going to have it harnessed. And-"

"And he's not a bad cook either." Falco put a wing over Krystal's shoulder and sat on the bar stool next to her. "Hey there kid."

"Hi Falco." Krystal said.

"Never mind _Dash_." Falco blurted. "What have you been up to all these years?"

Krystal tried to smile, holding her own and while still telling the truth, lying. "You know, just odd jobs here and there across the solar system, after abandoning Starwolf."

Falco raised an eyebrow. "You know, I hear that a little while back, someone tried to kill Wolf."

Katt poured Falco a drink. "No kidding." She sounded sarcastically.

"No, seriously! Found the man nearly dead on floor in his room, with a stab half way through his chest! From what I heard, he pierced a lung, but the thing barely even missed his heart. Lucky for him they got him medical care in time. Another two minuets and he would have been gone."

Katt laughed. "Yeah, lucky for him, but not so lucky for us."

The falcon nodded. "Mm-hm, and get this; he still thinks it was Fox that came back to get him."

Krystal coughed and choked on her water. Some was spat out onto the floor.

"Hey." Falco leaned toward her. "You ok?" Patting her on the back.

"Yup!" She spoke with a hollow throat. "Just… wrong pipe is all." Krystal paused for a moment. "Did he find out who it really was?"

Falco shook his head. "Not that I know of. I'm just passing on the message that was passed to me. I personally think that Wolf has lost it though. You know… gone off the deep edge."

Krystal spoke dryly. "Yeah… he must have. Does he still bother you? I mean himself and Starwolf?"

Falco first looked at Katt, and then answered. "We haven't had them bother us since this rumor went around. Katt also shook her head.

Krystal nodded. "I apologize for acting so hostile when I first arrived, but you'll understand now why I'll want to head off to bed. I've had a rather trying day. I just wanted to apologize."

Falco took a sip out of his drink. "Sure Krystal."

Krystal smiled timidly. She stood, and put her paw over Falco's wing. The avian was about to flip his wing to shake her paw, when a short yet sharp pain bolted through it. He swung back. "Hey!!!"

Krystal just smiled, holding a blue feather in her paw. "Good night Mister Lombardi. Katt."

She heard Faclo yell at her. Something rather vulgar of course, but the feline said _good night,_ sweetly, and she had of course tuned Falco out. She walked, while looking at the feather in her paw, only occasionally glancing at where she was going. The door to her room automatically opened. She slowly approached the window. She put her paw onto the thick glass, and whispered. "_Just skin and atmosphere._"


	42. Caprice

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XLII**

**Caprice

* * *

**

"_Every second you get closer to apathy,  
Question everything you do,  
Live and learn,  
Please don't give my name,  
Sure and evident,_

_I've been wishing I could sleep,  
A day,  
A week,_

_There's too much struggle around us,  
They warned you this,  
They'll make a movie about us,  
Lets promise to lapse,  
Let's see a time to forget,_

_And these words are the only words that work for me,  
But I can't go back to ends meat,  
That our lives run the straightest line you'll ever see,  
This won't be the last time,  
You won't be the last time,"_

**DOWNSTAGE **_**– "Lines from a Movie."

* * *

**_

"Sir!" Kole Harper yelled loud and clear. He stood at the door of the old hare's offices perfectly still. His right paw glancing over his brow. He shot his arm down to his side, standing perfectly tall and perfectly still. He stared strait ahead at attention, waiting for the order given to relax.

The hare that sat at the back of the office, behind his desk smiled and chuckled at the middle aged feline. "Still putting up that act are we Colonel?"

The cat remained still and silent.

Peppy Hare laughed once more. "At-ease, and relax Harper. Please come in."

"Thank you General."

"Please have a seat Sir." The General Commanded. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Of course Sir."

"Peppy leaned back into his chair. "We have a crisis on our hands, I'm sure you're aware of Mister Harper."

"Yes Sir."

"You understand that terrorist and rebellious activity is higher then it has ever been in the past ten years. But that's not what I'm concerned about… I trust you have a plan to quell this little infection don't you?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good." The hare simply said.

The orange cat took a deep breath. "I grossly underestimated the power of the Slayers in the previous operation. Slaying Silence was a failure due to lack of leadership."

"It wasn't a lack of leadership. It was failure for you to understand the power of the warriors, and ignore the requests of your fighters in the field. But never the less, what's done is done, and what we have to ensure is that we don't do it again. And to ensure that, I will be relieving you of command of the operations, that will be now given to me." He paused. "If it was a lack of leadership, it was due to your negligence."

"I understand Sir."

"With that said, you know the power of Slayers better then I do, now more then ever. Let's hear what you have to say."

"Sir." Kole handed the general a paper. "Option A is a full front attack on planet Sauria. We're only talking about forty enemy troops. They are well trained, but we can outnumber them by the masses, at over twenty to one ships."

"Mmhhm… power by numbers… and Option B?"

He handed Peppy another folder. "Option B is to photon Sauria. One Photonic bomb will scar the landscape of their location for decades to come. Not such an original plan… but we know it'll work."

"Option C?"

He handed in the last folder. "Option C is relay messages to local indigenous tribes of the planet. Perhaps they would have to power to neutralize the rogue warriors. Judging on how much they were underestimated, I'd rather doubt it."

"Right." Peppy tossed the folder down and rubbed his head. "So where does that get us?"

"I'd recommend either Option A… or B."

"We can't photon Sauria. Radiation will leave the target area violently radioactive for years to come. Winds could spread the radiation around the planet. We're not sacrificing a planet in a war that we started."

Kole slowly nodded, and simply said, "That leaves us with Option A."

"Which is out of the question you know, right?"

"Why is this Sir?" The cat asked.

"Because of rebellious attacks on Katina, we can't spare forces there. And on top of that, a large scale naval shift would be broadcasted all over the news. Citizens would wonder what was happening and-"

"Sir?" The cat interrupted. He broke his statement a moment. He waited until he met eyes with General Hare. He then continued. "I think it's too late to save commandments from the public."

The hare was about to say something, but he stopped himself. He paused and waited. The room became sickening in the silence. He sighed, and then took a deep breath in. "You're sure that, that option will work."

"Yes Sir." Kole didn't hesitate. "The Slayers are strong. But they can't destroy a whole naval fleet. We'll send in some _rabbits_, and lure them off the planets surface. We'll ambush the ships and take them out one by one."

The hare burned his eyes into the head of the Colonel.

"If you just sign this form, we'll get underway." Kole pushed the document toward him. They didn't break eye contact the whole time.

The general averted his gaze from the orange fur, now down to the paper. "I will sign this on the conditions that you will have complete command over the mission. I believe that you have learned from your mistakes and can do this better then I can. But you will be on station with the strike force, so you can overview the operation from a Cornerian Flagship."

"Understood." He watched the old man put his paw down to the paper. "Just, one moment general."

The hare lifted his paw from the paper. "A problem Colonel?"

"We need Star Falco on station."

The hare lifted an eyebrow. "Why is this?"

"I believe that their piloting expertise is required to complete this mission."

Peppy put his paw over his mouth. He thought for a moment before he answered. "I will give you all the recourses you need." Peppy signed the paper, and handed it toward the other man. "All I need you to do, is succeed."

_**

* * *

X

* * *

**_

After a few more days aboard the Greatfox, Krystal began to feel better. She didn't know if it was the ship itself or the old friends that she was around, but it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She lay in her large bed, half asleep. She felt warm and cozy, and almost happy to be back in such a familiar and friendly place. It was almost as if, that every thing had been forgiven and forgotten. But yet, every second she grew closer to apathy aboard the Greatfox, and time to forget.

She had been drifting in and out of sleep for the past little while, before she heard a voice come over the intercoms of the ship.

"All Personnel on ship, are to meet on the bridge ASAP." It was Falco and he sounded quite urgent.

Krystal wasn't in the mood for that though. She stretched out and let go a big yawn. She lay on her stomach for a while longer before she slowly crawled out of her bed. She took her dear sweet time. The blue vixen hopped into the shower. She invited the feeling of the warm water all over her body. When she got out, she took the time make her hair look nice and her uniform presentable.

Krystal put the brush down on the top of her desk. She glanced at the photo in the mirror. She whispered to herself. "_They'll make a movie about us._"

When she was only good and ready, she left her room and headed toward the bridge. She wondered what it looked like now. Over the past few days of being on the ship, she had not actually been on the bridge yet. She had no reason to. Except to meet Rob, of course. But, she found Rob rather strange as she always had. His attitude was almost like he had a mind, but there was nothing to her to detect, and she didn't like it. It made her feel vulnerable, in a strange way.

Her heart beat harder in excitement. The doors opened from the center. The bridge was very clean, which she found strange considering Falco was in charge. The white steal contrasted very differently from the rest of the ship, making the bridge very bright. It now had a lot of floor and head room too.

She greeted the avian standing at the back of the bridge. "Good morning Falco. Where is everyone? I thought for sure that they would be here by now." She stood next to Falco.

"Well, let's see here." He sounded annoyed. "Katt takes about an hour to get ready, and Dash knows this already, so what he tends to do is show up an hour late. It's pretty much if I need them here as quickly as possible, I have to know an hour before that time comes."

Krystal just giggled. "I like what you've done with the bridge."

"I cleared out a bunch of that old-man stuff. Now there's even more room it here."

"I guess you've never liked to be cooped up." Katt walked in through the open door. And Krystal could hear footsteps coming down the hall way, as Dash ran to the control room.

"Geeze! For the name _Dash _you really aren't that fast, are you?" Falco mocked but still sounded irritated.

Katt looked really clean, but Dash on the other hand looked like he had just gotten out of bed. He replied. "I know how long Katt takes! I thought I'd sleep a little longer."

"And I believe in personal high-gene." Katt added.

"Cram it." Said Falco.

"So what's the scoop?" Asked the ape.

Falco pointed the remote at the hollow-consol. "I got this message from Peppy this morning."

The room dimmed and a large floating head of the old man appeared. He adjusted his glasses before he started. "Greetings Star Falco. I hope your vacation has gone well, but I know you're all itching to get back into the pilot's seat and into action. We have your next assignment." A picture of a planet appeared next to the hologram of Peppy's head.

"Sauria…" Krystal whispered in awe. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She tightened her grip on the railing.

"Your next mission is to escort ten Cornerian battle ships and cruisers to planet Sauria, along with the fighters they carry. You are just there as an escort. You don't need to engage any enemy ships, unless required by the navy. Your fee has been approved!" The hare smiled. "The forces are departing from the Cornerian Front tomorrow at six-hundred hours. Peppy out." The hologram flickered once and went out. The lights in the room slowly faded back in.

Falco stood in front of the team. "Probably just a bunch of guys screwing around with the local tribes and stuff like that. Nothing big."

Katt's bright face disappeared. "Falco, that's a lot of fighters."

Dash agreed. "Yeah man. It's more then just a few guys screwing off."

Krystal remained perfectly silent. Her heart beat into her ears, hard. "This is big. It has to be."

Falco nodded. "Might be. I just want everyone to be ready. Its stuff like this that gets people killed. Krystal, I assume that you remember how to handle an Arwing."

"Won't take me long. Just gott'a get the feeling. I'll be fine."

Krystal tuned out most of the conversation from there on in. She knew what was really going on, and she was going to get wrapped back into it. What may be her last chance to make reparations with Fox was coming, and she would be ready.


	43. Showdown

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XLIII**

**Showdown

* * *

**

"_Caught in a trail of destruction,  
I'm never turning back,  
I've lived my life this way so long,  
Preparing for the attack,_

_Eyes glowing like embers,  
Pacing everyone nigh,  
I lived my life in the cross hairs,  
But it's you that in my sights,_

_Do or die,  
Do and die,  
No one gets left behind,  
No one gets out alive this time,_

**DEATH PILOT **_**-"Do or Die"

* * *

**_

"All forces, we are approaching planet Sauria." The orange cat stared out the windows of the Cornerian Flagship. He rolled his knuckles in and out with one paw, while scratching his goatee with the other. Becoming very nervous, he thought of all the things that could possibly go wrong. He knew that he had to remain confident though. Those under his command would be able to tell if he wasn't. The air became silent, even with the others on deck around him. "All ships report in."

"This is Commander Brian, of the Septarider. We are awaiting your orders to commence Operation Forefront."

"This is Captain Colin. We are ready to launch fighter craft at your order Sir."

"This is Captain Peters. Standing by."

He awaited all the ships to report in. Finally the last ship reported in…

It was all or nothing.

**

* * *

X

* * *

**

"This is Captain Falco Lombardi of Team Star Falco. We are standing by. If you need any help, we can be mounted up in less than two minuets." Falco leaned up against the railings on the back of the bridge.

"Roger that." He heard the Colonel speak over the communications network. "Star Falco be advised, that in the event that we require your assistance, we recommend that you leave personal on board the Greatfox."

Falco looked around the room. Each member of the team looked at him. He could tell that none of them wanted to stay on aboard and miss any action.

Falco spoke once again into the channel. "With all due respect, we have an artificial intelligence on board the Greatfox. There is no need to keep anyone aboard the ship."

"I understand that Captain, but in the event of system failure, enemy boarders or an EMP wave from a photonic weapon, someone needs to stay aboard for security purposes." The network flickered.

Krystal looked out the window of the Greatfox. She stared onto the surface of Sauria. She tried to filter any distress calls from the planet with her sixth sense, but there was almost nothing. From out here, everything seemed to be in order.

She put her paw onto the glass. "I'll stay here Falco."

The blue avian glanced down at her from the back of the bridge. "Are you sure Krystal?"

She remained with her back turned. "Yes. I will sit this one out. I'll keep an eye on things from here. If anything goes wrong, I'll tell you."

Katt smiled, and spoke sarcastically. "Oh, how _noble_ of you."

Krystal ignored her. The little blue fox didn't say a word. She remained, staring out the window. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Krystal didn't feel well about the whole situation, but she didn't want to enlighten the rest of the team, on who was really down there. She felt, that as long as they remained in their fighter ships, they would be safe from the warriors. Krystal knew that out of their ships, team Star Falco didn't stand a chance… and nor did she.

The control room remained silent for one more moment. The comm. system broke the silence. "Star Falco, we are waiting on you to confirm orders."

Falco replied. "It's under control. We have someone staying aboard the Greatfox."

"Affirmative." There was a pause on the channel. "Captain Peters, you are clear to launch fighters."

They listened to the network.

"Launching Renegade fighters from hangers one through three."

"All cruisers launch fighters from hangers one through three. Fighters standby. Standby."

Another long break.

"Star Falco, we require your assistance on the front."

A large grin rode across Falco's beak. "Affirmative. On our way. All right team! Saddle up!"

Everyone looked at each other before they arose, and ran toward the door. Falco made sure that the other two made it out of the bridge before he did.

Just before he made his way out the door, he turned. "Krystal. You're gonna' be ok here?"

"Yes Falco." She continued staring on to the surface of Sauria. "Go."

Of course she wouldn't say anything but she knew that Fox was down there. There was something else too. There was an instinctive feeling that told her, that somehow… they knew… that he knew.

He nodded once and took off, dismissing Krystal's slight hostility. He didn't catch up to the others until he got to the hanger. They had already made their way into the Arwings. He was the last one to jump in.

The bird did-up his safety harness. "Check and double check G-Diffusers."

"You always say that." The ape spoke.

Katt answered for Falco. "That's what got Fox killed."

"Let's try to focus here." Falco interrupted. "Don't let your guard down. Keep a close watch on the radar for any unmarked ships. Make sure that we are not firing unless we are fired upon first. As far as we know, we are on a peace keeping mission."

"Yes Captain." Dash acknowledged.

"Communication line: Green." Falco waved his wing over the hollow-pad. He felt the ship shift downward as the mechanical launcher moved it away from the dock. He rolled his head around. His neck cracked in several places.

"Primary lock disengaged." Rob's voice resonated through the ship. "Prepare for launch. Three… two… one. Launch sequence initiated."

Falco felt his back slam into his seat. The Arwing's engines roared in a blue streak. The three ships hurtled toward the surface of the primitive planet, but before anyone had a chance to get their bearings, their worlds were turned upside down, as their ships barrel rolled. The blue and white-silver ships spread their wings in a spectacular display of light.

Falco hit the boost, and was quickly trailed behind the other two fighters. "Colonel we're looking to rendezvous with the other fighters."

"Affirmative. All points, Star Falco is on station and ready to help out."

The three Arwings quickly caught up to the other ships on the front line.

"Red Team, in position."

"Blue Team in position."

"Green Team, in position."

"Orange Team, position."

"Star Falco in position."

The communications network crackled. "All points in position." A long pause. "All points you are clear to go ahead with operation Forefront. Green light."

**

* * *

X

* * *

**

Krystal watched from the bridge of the Greatfox. She could see the small specs of fighters at the very front of the planet, soon disappear as they neared the atmosphere. She could see waves of other small ships stacked back to where the battle ships and cruisers lay. The Greatfox was at the very back of things. She could easily view the whole battle from here. But, it didn't quell her ambition. She still had no plan to confront Syxx. She was hoping that they would take him alive, but besides that, all she could do was stand there and watch the Slayers get hopelessly obliterated. With the carriers… they had no chance. They were outnumbered twenty to one… per carrier… at least.

Maybe it was time to forget Fox… maybe it was time to move on.

**

* * *

X

* * *

**

Falco followed the ships that were stacked affront him and his team. They drew ever closer to the planet below. It spanned out in front of him. "Engaging G-Diffuser for entering atmosphere."

The Renegades didn't have to do this. They were still out of the reach of the planet's atmosphere though.

Falco reached to engage the Diffuser. His glance shot upward when he saw a bright flash blaze through the inside of his ship. "Whoa! Anyone else see that?"

"Yeah!" Katt chirped. "What was it?"

The comm. system cracked. "Red three. What is your status over?"

No reply.

"Red Three? Red three please respond… that's an order."

Falco saw another bright flash. A ship in front of him dropped in an explosion of green and white, spinning and splintering. "We've got bogeys! Evasive maneuvers!"

The lead ships split. Dash checked outside his windows. "Damn! Anyone see 'em?"

"There isn't anything on the radar!" Katt rolled the ship away.

At that moment, the blue avian's ship shuttered. His restraint kept him in place and when the next moment came to see out the window, he could only see twin streaks of bright plasma tails going past either side of him ship, passing him, and going back toward the brigades of craft behind him. He could feel shocks of explosions reverberate through his ship. Another white line dashed past his ship. He barely got time to look at the black fighter that it was attached to. It was merely a blur.

"Star Falco!" The avian barked. "You are clear to engage enemy targets!"

**

* * *

X

* * *

**

"Slayers! Green light! Green light to engage! Trasporters! Get your hard droppers to the battle ships at the back of the fleet! Destroy them from the inside! Escorts! Divert fire! Take out enemy craft one by one!"

The radio was filled with a compilation of _Yes Sir's_ from different Hook Echoes. Others reported in kills already.

The power of the Vortec armoring was barely enough to keep Syxx on the wing of the craft. He clamped the glove around the leading edge of the wing on the Hook Echo. The shocks of the explosions going off all around him were nearly enough to throw him off the craft. But he held tight. He watched the other fighters dodge around the F1 as Kyla, the pilot of the particular one that he rode on weaved her way through explosions and lazar fire.

The black fur spoke calmly. "Kyla, get us as close to the carriers as soon as possible. Pyro and I can take it from there."

"Then hang on Syxx, Pyro."

The raccoon on the other wing of the F1 tightened his grip. "Let's do it then! Woo-Hoo! What are we waiting for!?! Hit it!!!"

The boosters on the Hook Echo were caked in. They waved past the first and second lines of defense.

Syxx spotted the next wave of space craft. "Kyla, reduce speed. We're going to have to fight our way through this one."

Syxx arose from the wing as Kyla reduced the speed. He armed the Mapaw. He set the heavy machinegun at his waist. The fox pulled in the trigger and let loose a mad fury of cylindrical steel rounds. At the range, they did little to nothing at all. He could tell the fighters were going to aim for them. He watched the Renegades close in on them… the sitting ducks.

He felt shocks of heat burn off the F1's weapons as it fired, and soon find their mark. Syxx lifted the weapon once again, firing more bolts at the smoldering fighter as it passed over them. With a few more hits, the ship exploded, and fell away toward the massive fight behind them.

White rails of light flashed from behind the Hook Echo. Two F1's rolled over Syxx, Pyro and Kyla.

"This one is on the house Syxx." One of the ships was Cobalt. The two black and silver's rushed the line of defense. He quickly destroyed one of the ships, sending a shock back toward Syxx. Two other Renegades trailed each ship, putting a hole in the defense.

"Thanks for the assist Cobalt."

"Syxx." Kyla broke in. "I'm detecting another target on the long range radar. We should have visual once we approach the battle ships and cruisers."

The black fox tightened his stance to the wings. "Then take us in close. The battle ships have no external turrets. They're the big guns."

As they grew closer to the large ships at the back of the fleet, Syxx noticed much less fighters. A few were launching from the hangers, but those were simply avoided as they rushed off to fight a battle on the front line, that was fast approaching toward the carriers as F1's obliterated their competition.

The vulpine put his back to the fuselage of the ship. "Cobalt, how are things going on the front line?"

It was a moment before he responded. "It's going smooth Syxx, but slow. We're working on getting more parties to the last line to infiltrate the ships. They're keeping us on the move, that's for sure."

"Got it. Keep things in motion." Syxx put his weapon across his chest. "And keep me posted."

"Sure thing."

Kyla took a quick glance down at the radar. "We'll have a visual on the mystery ship when we clear the bottom of this battle ship."

Syxx didn't say anything. He took a look up at the underside of the fast moving hull as they passed under the ship. When they broke clear, Syxx growled at what he saw. "Greatfox."

Kyla slowed the F1 further. "We don't have enough hard droppers to cover all the ships in pairs, Syxx."

Syxx spoke into the radio. "You know what that means Pyro."

The coon smiled within his helmet. "Ahhh… some alone time at last."

"That's right. Kyla divert course. Let's drop off Pyro. I'll take the mystery ship myslef."

Kyla slowly spun the ship around. "Here we go Pyro." They neared the aft of a battle ship. "Ready Pyro?"

"I was born for this sh-t!" Pyro crouched on the wing of the fighter. He aimed for one of the open hangers. He let out a large grunt when he jumped.

Syxx watched as he plowed directly into the hull of the ship, missing his mark. "Ooooh."

Kyla agreed. "I bet that hurt."

Syxx opened the channel to Pyro. "Pyro confirm hard drop."

The answer was a little delayed. "Yeah…" He sounded raspy and out of breath. "Just - knocked the wind out of me... a little bit."

Syxx grinned. "Didn't hurt."

The reply once again came a little late. He took two deep breaths before he began to speak. "No… nope. That one – that one hurt."

"Nice stick on the landing. See ya' on the other side Pyro." With that he closed the channel. "Ok, let's hit the other ship."

"Got it Syxx." Kyla replied.

"Syxx is Cobalt."

"I hear ya'. What's your status?"

"Counting the ship Cobalt has boarded, we have four hard drop teams on the carriers and battle ships."

"Affirmative Cobalt." Syxx paused for a moment, hesitating to ask. "Casualty report."

"So far so good. Kolt took a hit when entering the bay of the flagship. Reaver says that Kolt's ok."

"That's good to hear."

Cobalt stuttered. "Syxx we've been presented with an eleventh ship. Orders?"

"Don't worry about it Cobalt. I'll take care of this one." Syxx should have known that Star Faclo would be on station.

"Syxx, the fight is moving forward. There are more fighters hanging around back here in defense of the carriers and battleships." Kyla informed.

"Then get us there as soon as possible."

Syxx once again held onto the leading edge of the wing. Though this would be getting _even_ with his past, he would still prefer it if Falco wasn't in the ship. He didn't plan on destroying this ship like the others would be. The Greatfox had something special in store for it.

"Syxx! We're being followed!"

The vulpine glanced over his shoulder. "Cobalt. We could use a hand up here!"

"Sorry Syxx! I got my hands full! You're on your own for this one."

The black fur tore the heavy weapon Mapaw off his chest. He balanced himself on the wing. He knew that to come in range with the Mapaw, then the fighters would first have to come in range of them. If the Hook Echo were to go any faster, he would be endangered of being tossed off. All he could do, was wait, and hope. His honed skills would pull him through.

A flash came from the trailing ship. A pair of blue lazar rails rushed past the F1. Syxx felt their pure heat and energy as they narrowly missed the craft and himself. With a few more shots he knew it was his turn to return the favor. He brought himself to his feet, and set the weapon into his shoulder. He opened fire. He scored some hits, causing the craft to bug out.

Syxx was about to put down the weapon, when the whole fighter jumped. A hot flare burst out from the engine. Syxx slipped, but before he was taken off the ship, he caught his paw on a wing. With the other paw he opened fire, but it wasn't enough to do any damage, only a few hits were scored, sparking off the hull.

"You still on there Syxx!?! We've been hit!"

The vulpine checked the engines. The white cells sparked, and smoked. "Just a little closer!" Syxx saw the Greatfox within reach.

"There is no time Syxx! You have to jump! Now!!!"

Syxx didn't hesitate. It took him only a moment to get his footing upon the ship, and in a _hail marry_, he jumped. Everything was suddenly very smooth, and silent. He watched the ship fast approaching. He calculated his trajectory. He wasn't going to hit the bow of the ship. He was going to slide down the hull.

Syxx put out his paws in front of him. The ship came at him fast. The vulpine braced himself, taking in full lungs of air. It was a flurry of sparks when he hit and bounced. The shape of the hull allowed him to strike the steel once more. He watched his gloves spark as he tried to grasp something on the ship. But it was completely smooth. He scratched, trying to slow himself down, before he came to an abrupt halt. The Vortec slammed into the sharp leading edge of the top of the two wings. The suit blared an alarm in his ears. His vision tunneled and he found it hard to breathe.

In just another second the alarm stopped. He took a moment to focus of the screen over his left eye.

WARNING: Vortec Punctured (Center Torso)  
Attention: Nano-Tech Patching Initiating  
EXTREME WARNING: Vortec Depressurizing  
Attention: Vortec Nano-Tech Patch Complete  
Attention: Restoring Pressure (92%)

Syxx's vision cleared shortly. He found himself wrapped around one of the four massive wings of the Greatfox. His body pointed toward the aft of the ship. He watched a trail of smoke fly past him and around the ship, quickly followed by a blue and white fighter. An Arwing. The Hook Echo burned brightly as flares launched off its wings and away from the fighter. The visor automatically dimmed the bright flares.

Syxx coughed up some blood. "This is Syxx. Kyla is in trouble."

"Roger that Syxx." It was Cobalt. "Blair is on his way to assist."

"I copy. Proceeding as planned. Entering the mystery ship."

**

* * *

X

* * *

**

Krystal watched the three Awrings disappear into to small specs as they grew closer to the carriers. She couldn't see most of the fighters. They were just simply way too small and much too far away for her to see. All she could see was the large battle ships and cruisers.

But there was something else… there was a power. She remained staring outside of the window, rolling her claws and paw tips into her sweaty palms. She didn't only watch with her eyes, she watched with her mind, as a portal to the planet. Krystal could sense a great strength. The Slayers were out there… and they knew. She had no doubt about it now. Fox knew what was going to happen, and he was ready. She feared that they had lost their chance of a first strike. But still… the numbers were against him.

The vixen blinked, just before she thought she had seen a far off flash of light. She watched. Before long, another small one came form a great distance.

She thought to herself. "_It's begun." _

**

* * *

X

* * *

**

Syxx holstered the pistol Mapaw. He feared very little aboard this particular ship. He could navigate it with his eyes closed. The vulpine had crawled in through the front hanger where the Arwings had docked. He counted the empty docking stations.

He smiled, and thought to himself. "_Three ships missing… three members of Star Falco._"

The vulpine opened the pressurization chamber. He stood with the next door right in front of his nose. It slowly parted open with a _hiss _of air. He sighed with a large gasp and a groan as he took off his helmet. He placed it under his left arm.

He peaked left then right. "Never gets old." He lowered his HUD over his left eye, again.

The black fur slowly started walking down the hallways of the ship. Though he still held a high guard, he was pretty certain the no one was here. The only sound that he could hear was the tapping of his heavy boots through the halls. He still kept alert, being able to filter out any sounds that were not made by himself or his familiarity with this ship.

He passed the open door toward the lounge, paused, and stepped back. The place had changed a little bit, but not a whole lot. He slowly stepped around the back side of the bar. He opened the fridge. The first thing he spotted was a bottle of vodka.

He smiled, saying lightly. "Liquid courage." He tossed the bottle in his paw. Syxx grabbed a glass from the top counter, and poured himself a drink. He was just about to take a sip, before the ship rumbled, and lurched ever so slightly beneath him, the lights flickered, setting off the night vision of his HUD for a moment.

He put the glass down. "Cobalt. Status."

He waited. "That was _Wolve_ and _Trennis_. They blew one of the cruisers Syxx. That's one down. Lisa going in to pick up the pair from their jump from the ship. Once we get them behind the controls, we'll have more fighters at the ready. Docking them at Krazoa Palace cuts our runtime in half."

"Copy that. And Kyla?"

"Blair is having a little trouble tracking her ship. But don't worry. We'll find her."

"Roger. Syxx out." The vulpine changed channels. "Pyro this is Syxx. How you holding up?"

Syxx heard a loud yell and the smacking of multiple plasma rounds. "Just got into the reactor. I'll have this ship splintered in about five."

"Copy. Out."

Syxx took a sip from the glass. He closed the fridge and began to head for the bridge. The doors to the bridge opened. He set down his helmet on the railing next to a control consol, leaving it there. He replaced its place in his paw with the Mapaw pistol formation. He put the sites over the metal head of Rob, who stood at a control consol of the port side of the ship. With one quick pull of the trigger the steel plasma round smacked its target. In a quick shower of sparks the robot went still, but remained to stand. The back of his head sparked a couple more times, and let out a puff of smoke. The bright bridge went dark at the moment, now just being lit by the reflection of Sauria, and dim plasma lights, leaving the room in a dim glow.

Syxx approached the window at the bow of the ship. He gazed out the window. The battle field was becoming a mass of confusion. Bad for his enemy, but good for him. A bright light originated from outside. Syxx squinted as he watched another Cornerian Battle Ship blow. It was then, a few moments later that the Greatfox was affected with the shock wave. He noticed the vodka in the glass on the consol of the ship wave and vibrate.

The bright light soon dimmed. The fumes of the fission-fusion core soon disappeared. The destroyed ship was torn into millions upon millions of tiny pieces. Nearly no large fragments remained, except for the two halves of the ship, when it had split. The debris floated into the orbit of Sauria.

He then heard the channel crackle in his ear. "Woooo – Hooo! That's all folks! This is Pyro! Requesting pick up from ship jump!"

It was silent. No one answered.

Pyro spoke again. "Uhh… hello? Anyone still alive out here?"

Syxx was about to contact Cobalt but someone else replied.

Syxx heard the voice of another Slayer over the communication system. "On my way, Pyro. Sit tight buddy."

"What the h-ll else am I gonna' do?"

Syxx didn't say anything. He just got to work. His agile control of the large gloves danced across the hollow-panels of the ship. He overrode codes with his own and soon with enough work; he watched a part of the control consol slowly fold out.

He grabbed a small memory stick from the back of his belt. He was just about to feed it into one of the many ports aboard the ship, when he paused. He began to think, and get a feeling… a feeling that Slayers knew to become familiar with. He was being watched. Syxx placed the small card back into a pocket in the front of his belt.

He put both paws down on the controls, moved his head up and stared out the window, speaking. "No doubt you've followed me to edge of oblivion just to see this day."

"It's not the cards you're dealt Fox… it's how you play them."

Syxx slowly turned around. "Not always." He found Krystal standing, just over arms reach away from him, pointing a gun at his head. "You're like a bad dream. You just keep coming back." He shifted forward.

"Don't move." Krystal shook the weapon.

The vulpine smiled evilly. "You've got one shot before I overtake you. I'd suggest you make it count."

"I don't intend on killing you."

"Good." Syxx turned his back to her for a moment to grab his drink. He then turned back and took a taste. "Then this should go rather smoothly _hmm_?"

"I'd hope so." She said having a different idea in mind.

The ship shook again from anther explosion. Syxx had the choice but to seize the opportunity. He made a quick swift move. He knocked the gun out of Krystal's paw. It flew directly upward, he tossed the glass of alcohol to the floor, while catching the Blaster. In one more quick shot, he fired the Blaster, not at Krystal but to the pool of vodka on the floor. The green bolt immediately ignited the alcohol into flames. Syxx now pointing the weapon at Krystal.

He laughed. "Pitiful."

Krystal took a step back, now not knowing what to do. She didn't know that he was capable of such speed. The Blaster was pointed at her head for a moment, before she saw Syxx doing something she never thought he would do. The black fur tossed the weapon aside, to the floor. It slid under a control consol. Syxx then took the Mapaw out of its holster and repeated his action.

Krystal was quick to take the staff off her back and point it at Syxx's neck. "Smart move."

The vulpine smiled, and pulled out the blade from his sheath over his chest. "Let's make this interesting now shall we?"

"I'm not here to fight you."

"It's not such a good day for you is it?" Syxx jumped, he slashed the blade downward.

Krystal caught it with the edge of her staff. "Fine. You want a fight? I'll give you a fight!"

Syxx growled. He tossed himself forward. Slashing with one paw, he left his other side open. With the disadvantage of the short blade, compared to the staff, he missed, leaving himself completely exposed. With the other arm, he blocked the swing of the staff. The Vortec armor sparked as the staff stroke his forearm.

Krystal squinted her eyes to protect them from the small shrapnel. She was able to block another slash from Syxx, but no by much. He was now close to the ground. She watched him kick at her leg, going for her feet, though he made contact, it wasn't enough. She rolled herself back, ready for the finishing blow. She swung back her leg, aiming her boots for Syxx's head. She felt it make contact, but not satisfyingly. The kick was diverted as it glanced off his forearm.

Syxx brought himself to his feet once more, putting one arm behind him, but the knife in front of him in the other paw. "Bring it." He said deeply.

Krystal charged. She twirled the staff in a single paw, tossing it to the other, slicing it low. She shielded her eyes as sparks flew. It was caught again by the comparably short blade of the Night Knife. Above all, she knew that she couldn't let him get a hold of the staff. She had to move quickly.

Syxx grunted and swung the knife. Krystal arched herself to dodge the blade. It was quickly followed by more furies. She used one end of her staff to block each swing. Each slash emitted a series of sparks, with the force applied.

"Aghh!" Krystal yipped. She felt the clean cut of a blade cross the side of her neck. She backed off, putting her paw to the side of her neck. It was a shallow cut, but it was long and clean. A strip of red now lay over her paw. She took a few more steps back. That was almost it. That was almost the end of her. She glanced up from her paw, meeting eyes with Syxx.

The black fur spoke into the radio in his Vortec. "Status."

"Everything is going as planned." There was a long pause. "We've found Kyla's ship… all that's left is sheet metal."

Syxx's heart skipped a beat. He stopped dead in his tracks. He swallowed hard. "Keep me posted."

The vulpine shut down the radio. Krystal watched his eyes. They changed. She could sense a tormenting amount of rage. She watched his eyes turn to embers. He glared at her in the silence, which was soon after broken by the shock of another large ship exploding. The Greatfox rocked.

"Syxx." Krystal paused. "Fox… its over." She looked out the window into the bright light. "No one get's left behind."

"No." He said in a dark voice. "No one gets out alive, this time!"

The vulpine jumped. The blades slashed back and forward, and from side to side. Krystal worked to try to keep up. But Syxx kept moving faster and faster and he kept striking harder and harder, until the little blue fox could no longer keep up. Krystal felt the blade pierce into her hide.

With a loud yelp, she fell over backward and collapsed. Both paws covered her side. She could feel the blood in between her fingers. She moved them away to take a look at the wound. It seeped blood… but… it wasn't that bad. She knew that she had left herself open and he had a clean hit.

The blue vixen thought to herself. "_He's letting you live_."

When Krystal looked up, she saw Syxx. She saw her blood on the knife. Somehow, he had gotten a hold of her staff. He stood above her for a moment, looming down upon her, but she didn't feel afraid. She couldn't anymore. She was all _feared_ out. All she could do was stare back up at him. Before she could say anything, he spoke.

"I would have expected better from you." He tossed down her staff. It landed on the floor, clanging.

"You could have killed me… easily." She said simply, not breaking her eye contact. "Why?"

Syxx didn't smile. He still spoke in a low voice. "Don't rule that out yet. I've lived my life in the crosshairs, but now it's you that in my sites." Syxx turned his back to her. "So watch your back, 'cause next time, you won't be so lucky."

Krystal raised her voice as he walked away. "So what's your plan then? You can't take over the entire Lylat System alone. It's over Syxx. It's over! I'll exposed you for who you really are."

Syxx turned back, standing above her. "You can go do that all you want. It doesn't matter anymore."

"You're wrong… it's over."

Syxx spun and tapped away at the controls of the Greatfox, saying nothing. He pulled the chip back out of his pocket, and plugged it into the consol of the ship.

"What is that?" the vixen asked.

In a quick diming, the ships lights faded. She watched the plasmatic lights fill with a silvery-blue substance… like water. She listened to the sounds of electronics around her beep, whistle and whine. She began to sense another being on board the ship. Strange and out of ordinary thought patterns filled the air around her. The part she found most strange, was that she recognized them. She recognized them from a long time ago. The thought patterns of the Aparoid virus.

The fear was stricken back into her heart. With overwhelming force, she overlooked Syxx thrust his knife into the control consol. He dragged it through the clean hollow-emitter. Bolts of pure electricity ran from the steel blade, into his glove, and up his arm. It wasn't just electricity either, there were waves of deep, deep blue that ran from the consol and into his suite. Little did Krystal know, the virus combining with the nano-bots of the Vortec armor. She sensed unbelievable amounts of energy radiating off Syxx, more then she had ever sensed before.

The black fur laughed. He put his paws out to his sides. Each one surrounded by a black-blue mist, before it disappeared. He watched as he could bring back the blue mist as any moment, feeling a hot power over his paws and through the suit. He pulled back and smashed his fist down. The steel railing shattered underneath his might, making him laugh even more deeply.

The vulpine stared out the window of the Greatfox, just in time to see another ship go up, smiling, sinisterly. "No Krystal. It's not over. It's far from over." Syxx retrieved his helmet, and placed it over his head. "In fact, it's only just begun." The armor _hissed_.

Syxx stepped over to stand above the vixen again. He leaned down, their faces only a tad apart. She stared back, but all she could see was her own wide eyes in the silvery, mirrored visor of his helmet. Her heart began beating faster and faster, until she thought it was going to explode. Krystal watched the mirror in front of her slowly disappear, until she was no longer able to see him in front of her. She heard the _woooosh_ of the figure disappearing too.

Krystal listened to Syxx speak as she stared at herself and as he slowly faded away. "We are the ghosts. We are… the writing on the walls."

**

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_The End  
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X  
_**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul  
**By: _SyxxFox_


	44. Black and White and Rogue All Over

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XLIV**

**Black and White and Rogue All Over

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**

Two years of development and writing has brought us to this. Rogue Fox quickly became one of the most watched and anticipated stories on the archive.

-Thank you to all readers for sticking with it.

-Thank you all reviewers for comments and ideas!

If anyone still wants to submit art, media, or fanfiction-fanfiction please email me so it can be added onto the archive.

Check SyxxFox profile for updates.  
And as far as a sequel goes… take a look at SyxxFox on Fanfiction.

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Keep it Open,  
SyxxFox


	45. Rogue Fox II

**Rogue Fox Armageddon Soul**

**Chapter XLIV**

**Rogue Fox II**

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Have had a few people come to me about this, wondering about a sequel.  
If you have not noticed, Rogue Fox 2 has been up for quite some time now.

You can find it by accessing the 'SyxxFox' profile, and look for "Rogue Fox Spare Your Soul"

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Keep it Open,  
-sx


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